This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Unit in Davis, CA. In this position, you will actively participate in tasks related to the evaluation of rootstock resistance to soilborne pathogens in a laboratory environment. This is a term, time-limited appointment with an initial duration no less than 13 months and can be extended up to a total of 10 years.

Duties

Conduct greenhouse experiments to evaluate resistance of rootstocks to soilborne pathogens. Use culture media to isolate and preserve plant pathogens and soil microbes. Perform a full range of techniques and studies using a variety of specialized equipment including microscopes and thermocyclers. Maintain inventories of lab chemicals, supplies, and samples. Conduct microbial community analyses based on high throughput DNA or RNA sequencing.

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 trial 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. 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 perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in a research project involving agricultural samples; performing DNA/RNA extraction, purification, amplification, or preparation; 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, Microbiology, Soil Microbiology, Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Plant Breeding, 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 perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience performing molecular techniques including the extraction of DNA for analysis or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis; analyzing tree or plant samples; and operating, maintaining, calibrating, or modifying specialized equipment. OR Education: 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, Microbiology, Soil Microbiology, Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Plant Breeding, Genetics. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. GS-09 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-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 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 conducting an experiment involving genotyping plant or tree samples; maintaining specialized scientific equipment used for test and evaluation procedures; and accurately recording experimental data. OR Education: 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, Microbiology, Soil Microbiology, Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Plant Breeding, 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 800 Buchanan Street Albany, CA 94710 US
• Name: Kayleigh Pfeiffer
• Phone: 703-995-9645
• Email: [email protected]