This position is located in the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Food Systems Research Unit in Burlington, VT. In this position, you will be conducting research on resource requirements or environmental impact of food systems; collecting data from existing databases, and developing new data related to resource use and environmental impact of producing food; and identifying key factors that affect resource use and environmental impact associated with production of foods.

Duties

Characterize productivity, resource use, and environmental impact of food systems and supply chains of nutritionally important crops, such as fruits, vegetables, dry beans, and whole grains, and animal products, including meat and dairy. Compare the resource use and environmental impact of foods produced in the Northeast to other supply regions and to national benchmarks. Identify opportunities to improve environmental performance of supply chains by leveraging ecological processes, such as closing loops in food waste streams and integrating renewable energy production. Provide tools for supply chain members to make decisions and develop management alternatives for more sustainable and economically viable food systems. Use research protocols that can characterize and assess complex systems, including life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, process-based models, and optimization. Apply existing theories and scientific methodologies from relevant, allied fields such as ecology, environmental economics, and agroecology. Work as part of a research team, developing datasets relevant to the food systems models being developed by the team and publishing articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Research requires adaptation of current methods and theories, development of new procedures, and integration of background information into new and testable hypotheses.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• 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
• Successful completion of a three year probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Additional Requirements In addition to meeting the basic requirements described in the education section of the announcement, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below. GS-12: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or possess an equivalent combination of graduate level education and experience. Graduate education must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped applicants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-12 level of this position are: Experience conducting research on the resource requirements or environmental impact of food systems; collecting data from existing, well-developed databases and developing new data related to resource use and environmental impact of producing food; and identifying key factors that affect resource use and environmental impact associated with production of nutritionally-important foods. GS-13: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-13 level of this position are: Experience conducting research on the resource requirements or environmental impact of food systems; collecting data from existing, well developed databases and developing new data related to resource use and environmental impact of producing food; identifying key factors that affect resource use and environmental impact associated with production of nutritionally-important foods; and publishing research findings on the resource use and environmental impact of food production in peer-reviewed scientific journals. GS-14: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-14 level of this position are: Experience planning and developing research on food systems with a focus on environmental impact of food systems and supply chains of nutritionally important crops and animal products; collecting data from existing, well developed databases and developing new data related to resource use and environmental impact of producing, processing, and/or preparing food; identifying key factors in food that affect resource use and environmental impact associated with production, processing, and/or preparation of nutritionally-important foods; publishing research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals as either first or senior corresponding author; and presenting, by invitation, research findings at scientific meetings. GS-15: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-15 level of this position are: Experience leading research on food systems with a focus on environmental impact of food systems and supply chains of nutritionally important crops and animal products; collecting data from existing, well developed databases and developing new data related to resource use and environmental impact of producing, processing, and/or preparing food; providing tools for supply chain members to make decisions and develop management alternatives for more sustainable and economically viable food systems; publishing research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals as either first or senior corresponding author; presenting, by invitation, research findings at scientific meetings; characterizing productivity and assessing environmental impacts across the life cycle of food products, and collaborating with visiting scientists on specialized techniques and methods associated with evaluating the resource use and environmental impacts of foods systems. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To further support your qualifications, it is strongly recommended that you submit a one-page abstract of your MS thesis and/or Ph.D. dissertation. Failure to do so could result in loss of your consideration/referral. Also, please submit a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons familiar with your stature, contributions, recognition; any honors or awards received; memberships in professional or honor societies; invitations to make presentations at scientific/technical meetings; scientific society office and committee assignments; presentations (other than invitation); and publications. Applicants must be available to report for duty at the time a selection is made. Selections are typically made within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Please see below for education qualification requirement information.

Basic Requirements for Biology Series, GS-0401
Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Basic Requirements for Agricultural Engineering Series, GS-0890
Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
OR
Combination of education and experience: college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 10300 Baltimore Avenue Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Kendra Bledsoe
• Phone: 7032599425
• Email: [email protected]