USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellow in Postharvest Pathology

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA-ARS-PWA-

11/6/2026 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), San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, in Parlier, California.

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.

The San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center conducts research to support the sustainability, quality, and productivity of specialty crops industries across California’s Central Valley. The Commodity Protection and Quality Research Unit focuses on improving postharvest quality and reducing losses of horticultural specialty crops caused by fungal pathogens, physiological disorders, and the control of quarantine insect pests that threaten market access and export opportunities.

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(s).

Fall 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 is $75,000 annually.

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

This program, administered by…