USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship Barley and Oat Genetics​/Molecular Biology

Position: USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship on Barley and Oat Genetics/Molecular Biology
Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis. ARS Office/Lab and

Location:

A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), locatedin Aberdeen, Idaho.

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.

This appointment is supported by the USDA-ARS barley and oat research project in Aberdeen which goals are to enhance barley and oat productivity, quality, and stress resilience by combing traditional, molecular, and genomics methods. You will collaborate with other scientists in the unit and other institutes to develop genetic, genomic and molecular resources for for supporting the barley and oat research.

Research

Project:

You will be involved with one of the two research projects: I. Barley genetics and genomics and II. Barley and oat molecular biology. For the first project, you will help conduct genetic analysis of resistance to stripe rust and hessian fly in barley and map the key genes or QTLs related to barley disease and pest resistance or other interesting traits.

You will also assist in performing genome-wide association studies to identify genomic regions or candidate genes associated with disease resistance and grain quality in wild and cultivated barley populations. In addition, you will also participate in the collaborative wild barley genomics project and characterize useful genes in wild barley species. For the second project, you will contribute to cloningthe genes controlling stripe rust resistance and grain quality in barley, investigatingthe molecular functions of the candidate genes and validating the gene functions with transformation and molecular experiments.

Lastly, you will assist in analyzing the gene-edited plants to improve grain quality in barley and oat.

Learning Objectives:

You will receive training in plant genetics and breeding, plant genomics, molecular biology and gene editing, and will gaining experience collaborating with national and international scientists on plant pathology, bioinformatics, comparative evolution and other areas.

You will also have opportunities to attend scientific conferences for presenting the research results and establish collaborative networks. Additionally, you will get a chance to learn barley and oat molecular biology and understand the needs of the stakeholders. Lastly, you gain skills relating towriting manuscripts, book chapters, project reports and presenting research at scientific conferences.

Mentor(s):

The mentor for this opportunity is Dongying Gao(dongying.gao). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment

Start Date:

December 1,2026.

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

Appointment Length:

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

Level of Participation:

The appointment is full time.

Citizenship Requirements:

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

ORISE Information:

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.

Questions:

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