USDA-ARS Food Safety Data Science Fellowship

How to Apply

A complete application consists of:

• An application
• Transcript(s) – For this opportunity, 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.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA-ARS-PA-

6/19/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), The Roman L. Hruska Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), located in Clay Center, Nebraska, and fully remote candidates will also be considered.

This educational opportunity focuses on understanding and evaluating methods for Salmonella quantification and virulence assays at the speed of commerce under real‑world conditions. The participant will collaborate with a research team to explore best practices in experimental design, hypothesis testing, and data analysis for assessing Salmonella detection methodologies.

The participant will learn about stakeholder‑focused research, data science, scientific communication, food safety applications, real‑world data, and collaborative/transdisciplinary/team research. Additionally, there will be opportunities to expand data science skills, including high performance computing, software development, geospatial or time series modeling, and mathematical modeling.

The mentor for this opportunity is Tatum Katz (tatum.katz). For questions about the nature of the research, contact the mentor.

June 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of ARS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

The appointment is full time.

The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $63,795 - $93,358 annually.

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

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 ARS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, ARS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment‑related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program.

Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process, please email ORISE.ARS.Plains and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. The degree must have been received within the past three years or anticipated to be received by the start of appointment.

• Experience in statistical programming in languages such as R (ideal) or Python.
• An understanding of linear models and probability.
• A background in biology, with a preference for cellular biology, microbiology, infectious diseases, animal agriculture, or food safety.
• Experience in applied statistics, data science, machine learning, mathematical modeling, epidemiology, disease ecology, and PCR assay development.

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree:
  Doctoral Degree received within the last 36 months or currently pursuing.
• Discipline(s):
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (Data Science, Scientific Computing and Informatics)
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics