The incumbent is a Research Geneticist assigned to the Dairy Forage Research Unit (DFRU) of the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, Madison, WI. The workstation for this position is located in Madison, WI. The incumbent serves as research team member for the DFRU and participates in a dynamic, team-based, and collaborative research program designed to address dairy forage production and sustainability goals and objectives among USDA, industry, and academic partners.

Duties

Develop improved cultivars of forage grasses Identify breeding methods to break undesirable correlations between forage quality and fitness traits Identify and evaluate selection criteria (e.g. reduced lignin, fiber digestibility, and physical characteristics during digestion) for improving nutritive value and intake potential of perennial forages, and utility for novel end-uses Provide leadership and collaborate in the efforts of other scientists and allied university research programs, and from other Federal, State, and local agencies, scientists from the forage seed industry, and forage and dairy producer groups

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. Minimum qualification requirements are found in the OPM Qualification Standards Operating Manual for General Schedule Positions. Qualification requirements must be identified for each grade level advertised. Genetics Series, 0440 Basic Requirements: Degree: Genetics; or one of the basic biological sciences that included at least 9 semester hours in genetics. Additional Requirements: In addition to meeting the basic requirements for one of the series described above, 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: Conducting research related to genetics, inheritance, and breeding behavior of forage quality traits, disease resistance, and agricultural fitness of perennial forage grasses; AND Publishing research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND Presenting research findings at scientific conferences or academic meetings, either in person or virtually. 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: Conducting independent research related to genetics, inheritance, and breeding behavior of forage quality traits, disease resistance, and agricultural fitness of perennial forage grasses; AND/0R Publishing research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND/OR Presenting research findings at scientific conferences or academic meeting, either in person or virtually; AND/OR Experience supervising staff to accomplish research objectives. 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-13 level of this position are: Planning and leading independent research related to genetics, inheritance, and breeding behavior of forage quality traits, disease resistance, and agricultural fitness of perennial forage grasses; AND/OR Publishing related research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND/OR Being invited to present research findings at scientific conferences, either in person or virtually; AND/OR Experience supervising staff to accomplish a variety of research objectives; AND/OR Working with stakeholders to enhance research efforts and writing grant proposals to expand existing programs. 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 above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 5601 Sunnyside Ave Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Jessica Lang
• Phone: 3092731525
• Email: [email protected]