This position is located in the United States. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Midwest Area, National Animal Disease Center, Virus & Prion Research in Ames, IA. This position will provide support for researching immune responses in pigs infected with economically important swine viruses by gathering biological samples to analyze immunological parameters with techniques such as nucleic acid isolations, cell isolations, qPCR, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry.

Duties

Participate in one or more phases of the research process by performing technical duties on live cells, large animals, viruses, and infectious samples. Performs procedures, and techniques using specialized equipment on live, infectious cells or viruses. Maintain, calibrates and modifies complex/specialized equipment and systems to isolate, test, and evaluate fragile cells and molecules (RNA, enzymes, antibodies, etc.) efficiently and accurately. Tabulates, statistically analyzes and summarizes data using personal computers and software packages.

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. GS-7 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 includes: assisting with research projects related to animals; and maintaining a worksite in accordance with laboratory regulations. OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate level education leading to a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Soil Science, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Chemistry, Biology, or other related fields. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above. GS-8 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 includes: collecting or analyzing animal samples in a laboratory or field environment; performing laboratory assays including RNA isolations, qPCR, or flow cytometry; and operating and maintaining laboratory equipment and automated systems used for test and evaluation procedures. 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 Agronomy, Soil Science, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Chemistry, Biology, or other related fields. 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 5601 Sunnyside Ave Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Megan Lawrence
• Phone: 571-363-3295
• Email: Megan.Lawrence@usda.gov