This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Crop Germplasm Research Unit in College Station, TX. In this position, you will actively participate in one or more phases of a research project by performing a variety of microbiological techniques in a laboratory or field environment.

Duties

Perform a variety of techniques in a laboratory environment including tissue culturing, fungal and bacterial isolation, and amplicon sequencing or fragment analysis. Harvest plant samples from the field for processing and analysis. Undertake the routine care, maintenance, and calibration of a full range of specialized equipment including microscopes and thermal cyclers. Maintain a sterile laboratory environment to reduce contamination and ensure reliability of sample processing and data analysis.

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/
• Motor Vehicle or Commercial Driver's License Required.

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. GS-07 Specialized Experience: 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-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in a research project involving plant or microbial samples; collecting, organizing, or analyzing experimental data using software packages; and operating specialized equipment used for test and evaluation procedures. OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Plant Pathology, Entomology, Agriculture Science, Forestry, Crop Science, Horticulture, Botany, Microbiology, Biology, Molecular Biology, or Genetics. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. GS-08 Specialized Experience: 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-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience performing molecular techniques including fungal or bacterial isolation or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis; analyzing tree or plant samples for disease; and operating, maintaining, calibrating, or modifying specialized equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Plant Pathology, Entomology, Agriculture Science, Forestry, Crop Science, Horticulture, Botany, Microbiology, Biology, Molecular Biology, or Genetics. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. 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 2150 Centre Avenue Building D, Suite 300 Fort Collins, CO 80526 US
• Name: Kayleigh Pfeiffer
• Phone: 703-995-9645
• Email: [email protected]