USDA-ARS SCINet​/AI-COE Fellowship in Computer Vision Developing National Plant Image Repo

Overview

Organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code: USDA-ARS-SCINet-

Location:

Beltsville, Maryland. A postdoctoral research opportunity is available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory.

Mission:
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture s chief scientific in-house research agency with a mission to find solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. ARS will deliver cutting-edge, scientific tools and innovative solutions for American farmers, producers, industry, and communities to support the nourishment and well-being of all people;

sustain our nation s agroecosystems and natural resources; and ensure the economic competitiveness and excellence of our agriculture. The vision of the agency is to provide global leadership in agricultural discoveries through scientific excellence.

Research Project:
Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will have the opportunity to help facilitate access leading to the successful use of high-performance computing resources for scientific research. The participant will learn about the ARS Big Data Initiative (BDI; scinet.usda.gov) and its three components: (1) a high-capacity network as the backbone of a research data and information conduit among ARS locations (SCINet);

(2) high-performance computing and storage infrastructure available to all of the ARS scientific community; (3) a virtual research support core (VRSC) that provides support and training to ARS scientists and staff. The fellow will help expand SCINet services through the construction of an open-access plant image repository and construct a GUI that enables ARS scientists to build synthetic image pipelines.

Learning Objectives:
The participant will learn about activities related to organizational and operational planning, training coordination, and science communication in support of the BDI and the ARS AI Center of Excellence (AI-COE). The participant will also have the opportunity to take online courses in topics such as R, Python and statistics, and to develop collaboration and leadership skills through workshop and working group experience.

Under a mentor s guidance, the participant will help assess the state of plant image repositories in the US and develop a pathway to integrate new and past image repositories into a central resource for ARS scientists. The fellow will learn about constructing a GUI for synthetic image pipelines.

USDA-ARS Mentor:
If you have questions about the nature of the research, Steven Mirsky, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, steven.mirsky.

Under the guidance of a mentor, participate in research activities related to high-performance computing, plant image repositories, and GUI development for synthetic image pipelines within the ARS Big Data Initiative and SCINet.

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor s degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

• Experience developing, testing, and refining machine learning models
• Experience developing HPC workflows
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Experience in team and collaborative scientific environments
• Experience constructing plant image repositories

• An application
• Transcript(s) – An unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted.  for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• Two educational or professional recommendations

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

Final date to receive applications: 3/27/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

How To Apply

(continued):
To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

• Citizenship: U.S. citizens only
• Appointment Length:
  The appointment will initially be for one year but may be renewed upon recommendation of the mentor and ARS
• Level of Participation:
  Full-time
• Participant Stipend:
  Monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience
• ORISE Information:
  Participants do not become employees of USDA, ARS, DOE or the program administrator; proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Questions:
Please visit our Program Website. If you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.ARS.SCINet and include the reference code for this opportunity.