USDA Agricultural Research Service
A research opportunity is currently available within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) with the Biologics Development Module (BDM) of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) located in Seattle, Washington.
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.
Research Project: The Biologics Development Module (BDM) is a unit within the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) who’s mission is to support and accelerate technology development of vaccines, diagnostics, biotherapeutics, and other veterinary medical countermeasures. In support of this mission the BDM has entered into a partnership with HDT Bio to develop countermeasures to high consequence arboviruses. Arboviruses are viruses transmitted by insects to humans and livestock. This project will develop prototype nucleic acid based countermeasures against target Arbovirus. This includes candidate down selection as well as immunogenicity/efficacy characterization.
Learning Objectives: A successful candidate will gain experience in multiple aspects of virology, vaccinology, and animal model development.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Michael Puckette (Michael.Puckette@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2023. 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 for up to two additional years upon recommendation of ARS and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The current annual stipend for this opportunity is $60,000 – $80,000.
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.Plains@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications:
The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields or be currently pursuing the degree with completion prior to start of appointment.
Preferred Skills:
Preferred, but not required, qualifications include experience with vaccine development, antigen design, animal model utilization, nucleic acid vaccines, and/or understanding of arbovirus virology.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Doctoral Degree.
- Discipline(s):
- Life Health and Medical Sciences
- Other Physical Sciences
Apply for USDA-ARS-P-2023-0299 by 9/1/2023 3:00:00 PM ET.