Postgraduate Research Opportunity in Bioinformatics
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
MUST APPLY THROUGH EXTERNAL LINK.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa has the responsibility of identifying several diseases of importance in livestock to maintain public and animal health and protect international trade. Next gen sequencing and the various methods and platforms built around sequencing is of increasing importance. This opportunity will focus on developing new and improving current bioinformatics pipelines to support pathogen identification and characterization.
Under the guidance of a mentor, the selected participant will have the opportunity to conduct research in a high performance computing environment, collaborate with other computational biologists at various other government agencies as well as internationally. There will also be the opportunity to collaborate directly with pathogen subject matter experts on pathogens of importance. The participant will present their research at national and international meetings.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 1, 2020
This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and APHIS. The initial appointment is for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of APHIS and is contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The annual stipend rate for this opportunity will be determined upon selection and will range between $61,000 and $87,000. Relocation expenses are not available. A travel allowance of $5,000 will be available to go to relevant trainings and conferences to present research findings. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Candidates will be eligible to receive a health insurance allowance. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE. The appointment is full-time at APHIS in the Ames, Iowa, area. Participants do not become employees of USDA, APHIS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.
This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals (dependent upon immigration status).
If you have questions, send an email to USDA-APHIS@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity (USDA-APHIS-2020-0100) in your email.