Postdoctoral Research Fellow Job Hilo area,Hawaii USA,Research/Development

Position Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii, is seeking a highly motivated and qualified candidate for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with a broad focus in the agriculture and food related sciences. This position will contribute to supporting sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in Hawaii and the Pacific Basin. Hawaii’s agricultural industry experiences unique constraints due to its geographic location (~2,500 miles from the U.S. mainland), including high energy and labor costs, transportation/export regulations, and elevated pest and disease pressure associated with tropical climates.

Within the Tropical Crop Commodity Protection and Research Unit, our mission is to develop science-based technologies and strategies to enhance open market access and improve the quality and sustainability of crops produced in the region.

Project Focus

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be assigned to a multidisciplinary project evaluating and optimizing the production of Hawaii breadfruit flour through an integrated approach that considers processing efficiency, product quality, and biological/nutritional attributes. This work contributes to a long‑term vision of increasing local food processing capacity to improve storage, distribution, and accessibility of locally produced foods, helping mitigate food insecurity across island communities.

Key Responsibilities

The selected candidate will conduct and support research activities that may include:

Designing and conducting experiments related to food processing and quality

Quantifying processing effects on product properties, such as nutritional quality, shelf‑stability relevant metrics, and sensory quality

Establishing drying kinetics of fresh and frozen breadfruit under combinations of pretreatments and drying conditions

Conducting laboratory‑based analyses and maintaining detailed research documentation and protocols

Performing statistical analyses and data visualization using reproducible workflows

Writing manuscripts and disseminating results through peer‑reviewed publications and stakeholder networks

Research Environment & Collaborative Opportunities

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be embedded within a collaborative team spanning biological sciences, applied agriculture, and technology development project is led by an Agricultural Engineering laboratory with expertise in spectroscopy, imaging, and machine learning for non‑destructive detection, and there may be opportunities to contribute to related projects including remote sensing and field‑based monitoring, machine vision applications for pest management, and x‑ray irradiation/imaging for quarantine and inspection technologies.

How to Apply

/ Contact

To apply or for questions regarding the position, please contact:
Dr. Peishih Liang
Peishih.liang

Required Qualifications

U.S. citizenship
Ph.D. in applied science disciplines (Agricultural/Biological Engineering, Food Science, and related fields)
Demonstrated biological research competence, including ability to work with biological samples and interpret biological outcomes
Strong quantitative/data skills, including experience with experimental design, statistical analysis and interpretation, and scientific data management
Demonstrated ability to publish scientific results (peer‑reviewed publications or manuscripts in preparation)
Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with food processing research (drying, pretreatments, milling/flour systems)
Experience with food chemistry, nutritional analysis, or quality evaluation
Ability to collaborate across disciplines and support field‑to‑lab integrated research workflows

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