This position is located in the USDA, ARS, Northeast Area, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Disease Lab in Beltsville, MD. In this position, you will serve as an expert resource in bioinformatics, computational biology, machine learning, AI, simulation, or statistics in the development of novel quantitative solutions for standardizing, harmonizing, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating all forms of research data needed to address complex problems in agriculture.

Duties

Develop efficient computational methodologies to analyze agricultural/biological data with environmental data and methods to conduct comparative genome and phenomic analyses on a variety of computer platforms. Develop scripts to link various software programs, and establish appropriate quality control procedures for high-throughput data systems. Collaborate with researchers in analytical phases of new techniques and procedure for genomic data. Partner and collaborate with ARS scientists, computational biologists, database managers, etc. in analysis of data, development of new data analysis techniques, data storage protocols, and other related activities. Perform required investigations, design appropriate experimental and analytical approaches, execute, organize, and evaluate research results, and contribute to reports on findings. Use originality in the development and application of existing bioinformatics algorithms to detect and analyze variation and patterns inherent in biological/agricultural data. Define research problems, develop appropriate experimental and analytical designs, execute research plans, organize and evaluate results, and report findings.

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.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• 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/

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. Basic Requirements 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. AND In addition to meeting the basic education requirement above, you must also meet the following minimum qualification requirements: GS-13 Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-13 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-12 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience employing computational methods to manage or analyze genetic information; developing new computational methods and application of existing methods; analyzing a range of molecular, biological, ecological, or environmental data sets; conducting training related to computational expertise; and making presentations at conferences, workshops, or professional meetings. GS-14 Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-14 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-13 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience applying bioinformatics, statistical, and computational approaches to answer complex biological questions; performing bioinformatics analyses for collaborative experimental procedures, techniques, and data formats; designing advanced computational methods for data modeling and representation to develop new methods to derive actionable insights for managing agricultural problems; providing mentoring and training to other scientific personnel; and making presentations at conferences, workshops, or professional meetings. 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 10300 Baltimore Avenue Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Sydney Teague
• Phone: 703-259-9455
• Email: [email protected]