USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellow in Postharvest Pathology

Research Project

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to be a part of research focused on postharvest disease management and quality of fresh fruits. The fellowship has two primary learning experiences. You will examine the susceptibility of table grape breeding lines to gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea, including developing and conducting scalable, high-throughput phenotyping methods to assess susceptibility and evaluate established or newly developed screening approaches.

This also includes developing and evaluating preharvest and postharvest treatments aimed at controlling postharvest diseases of fresh fruits. This offers opportunities to contribute to high‑value research that directly supports industry resilience and helps strengthen postharvest disease control.

• Learn to conduct research focused on postharvest disease management and quality in fresh fruits.
• Gain experience evaluating the susceptibility of table grape breeding lines to gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea.
• Develop skills in designing and implementing scalable, high‑throughput phenotyping methods to assess disease susceptibility.
• Learn to evaluate and refine established and newly developed screening approaches for postharvest disease resistance.
• Build experience in developing and assessing preharvest and postharvest treatments to control postharvest diseases in fresh fruit.

The mentor for this opportunity is Seiya Saito (seiya.saito). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

• Start date:
  
  September 1, 2026 (flexible; subject to factors)
• Length: initial one year; may be renewed upon recommendation and contingent on funding.
• Participation level: full time.
• Stipend: $75,000 annually, commensurate with educational level and experience.
• Citizenship requirement: U.S. citizen only.

This program is administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). 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; it can be obtained through ORISE.

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields within the past five years.

• Experience in plant pathology — demonstrated hands‑on research on fungal diseases or a closely related field.
• Experience with Botrytis species or other fungal pathogens such as Alternaria, Cladosporium, Mucor, or Penicillium.
• Applied research skills — strong understanding of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Sample management — experience managing, organizing, archiving biological samples.
• Independent and collaborative research — ability to conduct research independently and work effectively in a diverse research team.

Janeen

• Citizenship: U.S. citizen only.
• Degree:
  Doctoral degree received within the last 60 months.
• Discipline:
  Life Health and Medical Sciences (Agricultural Sciences, Microbiology, Plant Sciences).
• Veteran status:
  Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 months.