This position is located in Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the Crop Germplasm Research Unit in Ames, IA, St Paul, MN, Ithaca, NY, Raleigh, NC, College Station, TX, Pullman, CA or Madison, WI. In this position you will serve as the focal point and lead in collaborating with Area scientists and among research programs in the development of protocols, novel bioinformatics and statistical solutions for analyzing and interpreting genomics, metagenomics, and Big Data.

Duties

Provides bioinformatics, computational and statistical analysis on research plan proposals, experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of results for ARS national programs research conducted by ARS research scientists. Provides support to data services/systems, infrastructure, and training needed to support both research requirements and the Big Data initiative. Develops statistical procedures in molecular genetics and bioinformatics, and initiates and oversees the extramural bioinformatics and/or statistical support agreements. Ensures the systems are developed and continually updated with state-of-the art technologies. Provides insight into the development of new concepts, standards, and technologies to meet a variety of needs. Responsible for the collaborative efforts to support research projects.

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 Requirement: A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must also meet the following minimum qualification requirements: GS-12: 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-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 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 assembling genome; identifying genetic variants on a high performance computer cluster; using genetic databases for analysis and interpretation of genetic and genomic data. GS-13: 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-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 identifying genetic variants in many samples of re-sequencing data; associating SNPs with a trait and identification of the underlying genes that control trait; advance user of command line tools on a high performance computer cluster and utilizing SQL databases to interpret genetic data with the command line. GS-14: 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-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 assembling of multiple genomes and gene annotations; identifying genetic variations and comparison of those variants between populations; associating SNPs with many traits and identification of genes controlling many different traits important for plant phenotypes and administration of SQL databases through command line, and familiarity with database API connections. 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: Nelly Wilson
• Phone: (703) 259-9360
• Email: Nelly.Wilson@usda.gov