The incumbent is a Research Chemist in the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Bio-oils Research (BOR) unit in Peoria, Illinois. The focus of the BOR unit is to develop new technologies that utilize vegetable oils as renewable sources for value-added industrial products. The incumbent provides expertise in biobased materials and conducts research addressing needs of national interest for value-added industrial products from agricultural commodities, especially vegetable oils.

Duties

Develop commercial uses of vegetable oils, lipids, and their derivatives, and increase the market value of these commodities. Synthesize new products from vegetable oils with an emphasis on soybean oil. Evaluate the effects of chemical and processing conditions on physical and chemical properties. Evaluate the performance, as well as economic and environmental benefits, of newly developed products in industrial applications. Enhance the performance of industrial products from vegetable oils using insights gained from structure/property relationships. Develop sustainable technologies/processes that enable the commercial polymerization of vegetable oils into high-value biobased products. Analyze, interpret, and disseminate findings in the form of reports, presentations, and publications in scientific journals. Develop a stakeholder base to advocate for enhancing ARS research programs and to enable commercialization of new biobased products.

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 a 3-year probationary period.
• 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 Qualification Requirements for Chemistry Series, 1320: A. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics. OR B. Combination of education and experience: course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Additional Requirements In addition to meeting the basic requirements for the series described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. GS-12: Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree directly related to the duties of the position (e.g., organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and oleochemistry) OR 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience (defined below) equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service OR a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience. The specialized experience requirements for this position at the GS-12 level are: Conducting research related to developing value-added biobased materials from agricultural commodities; AND Publishing research in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND Presenting research findings at scientific conferences or academic meetings, either in person or virtually. GS-13: Applicants must have 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience (defined below) equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal Service. The specialized experience requirements for this position at the GS-13 level are: Planning and conducting independent research related to developing value-added biobased materials from vegetable oils, lipids, or their derivatives; AND Publishing research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND Presenting research findings at scientific conferences, either in person or virtually; AND Working with stakeholders to enhance research efforts and/or writing grant proposals to expand existing programs. GS-14: Applicants must have 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience (defined below) equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal Service. The specialized experience requirements for this position at the GS-14 level are: Planning, conducting, and leading team research related to developing value-added biobased materials from vegetable oils, lipids, or their derivatives; AND Publishing research results as the primary author in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND Being invited to present research findings at scientific conferences, either in person or virtually; AND Writing project research plans, grant proposals, and/or patent applications. GS-15: Applicants must have 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience (defined below) equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal Service. The specialized experience requirements for this position at the GS-15 level are: Managing and leading a team conducting research related to developing value-added biobased materials from vegetable oils; AND Publishing research results as the primary author in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND Being invited to present research findings at national and international scientific conferences, either in person or virtually; AND Serving as Principal Investigator on a collaborative research grant. 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. 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: Heather Lee
• Phone: 301-956-3803
• Email: [email protected]