The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the United States Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency and one of the world's premiere scientific organizations. ARS Postdoctoral Research Associates are hired to supplement a lead scientist's research on agricultural problems of high national priority affecting American agriculture. **ANNOUNCEMENT IS OPEN UNTIL FILLED OR JANUARY 16, 2025**

Duties

Identify and develop commercially viable products from vegetable oils that take advantage of the unique chemical structures of these oils. Perform chemical modifications of oils to produce lubricants, surfactants, polymers, fuels, and/or personal care products. Develop novel catalysts and processes that are capable of converting vegetable oils into platform chemicals common to the petroleum industry. Demonstrate utilization processes on a pilot scale.

Requirements

• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Appropriations Law and Immigration Law requirements must be met.

Qualifications

This position requires a Ph.D. in organic chemistry or a related physical science field that has equipped the applicant with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. The incumbent must have thorough knowledge of mechanistic chemistry and state-of-the-art methods necessary to execute synthetic organic chemistry reactions. Knowledge of and experience with a broad range of lipid and organic chemistry technologies essential for modification of plant lipids is desired. Mastery of separation and purification techniques required to characterize complex plant lipid mixtures and derivatives is needed. Knowledge of current methods used in assessment of reaction product identification including HPLC, GPC, GC, GC-MS, FT-IR, and NMR is highly desirable. Applicants must meet basic Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standard's requirements (noted below) of the scientific discipline necessary to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Chemistry Series (1320): A. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by coursework in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics. OR B. Combination of education and experience -- course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement. You must submit a copy of your academic transcripts OR a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify education when applying for this position. If this information is not provided, your education may not be appropriately evaluated and you may lose consideration for this position. If you are selected for this position, you will have to provide an official copy of your transcripts prior to entering on duty. Application materials will not be returned.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 5601 Sunnyside Ave Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Heather Lee
• Phone: 301-956-3803
• Email: [email protected]