USDA-ARS Postdoc in Breeding and Genetics of Grapevine

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code

USDA-ARS-NEA-2025-0152

How To Apply

To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click 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. Click here 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.

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Application Deadline

1/30/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• 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), within the Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU) located in Geneva, New York.

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: This appointment is part of the Grapevine Pre-Breeding program in the Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU) aimed at the development of grape germplasm. Recent advances in our understanding of the genetics of important traits of grapevine, along with steady reductions in the costs of DNA sequencing have led to unique opportunities in the development of novel grape germplasm for accelerating grape breeding. Of particular interest in grapevine breeding is the introgression of numerous identified disease resistance genes into single lines useful for further breeding and improvement through the development and use of rapid-cycling grape germplasm. This project offers a unique opportunity to conduct research to develop grapevine germplasm for supporting breeding programs to meet the U.S. grape industry needs.

The Overall Objectives Of The Project Include

• Identify sources of desirable traits, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes, and germplasm targets for trait integration;
• Elucidate the genetics and genomics of relevant traits and develop effective and efficient integration strategies, tools and methodologies;
• Develop novel germplasm with target traits, QTLs and/or genes integrated and characterized; and
• Transfer germplasm and associated information, knowledge, and tools to breeders and other researchers for grapevine breeding and improvement.
  
  

Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will have the opportunity to utilize existing populations and germplasm for characterizing traits of interest and their underlying molecular mechanisms through marker-trait and functional analyses and integrate desirable alleles into pre-breeding lines via molecular markers and development of rapid-cycling breeding systems to support the process of continuous germplasm improvement, discovery trait research and methodology optimization to reach greater breeding efficiency.

The general research technologies/methodologies and approaches are derived from plant breeding, genomics, quantitative genetics, physiology, biotechnology, computational biology, and horticulture. High throughput and precise phenotyping and genotyping, innovative quantitative genetic, genomic and biotechnological methods for making crosses and selections, evaluating trait performance, advancing breeding generations, and effective means for documenting and sharing research results with stakeholders are important for accomplishing the research objectives. The participant will be encouraged to establish robust collaborations with faculty at Cornell University, Cornell Agri-tech (Geneva Campus), and USDA-ARS scientists and produce quality research that will be published in open-access, peer-reviewed journals relevant to the field, as well as communicate with research networks within the scientific community.

Learning Objectives: As a result of this training, the participant will gain knowledge and experience in:

• Utilizing, adapting and development of genomic and molecular tools;
• Experimental design in develop disease resistance strategies through trait stacking;
• Maintaining, evaluating, and utilizing grapevine germplasm;
• Growth and experimentation with grapevine;
• Use of high-performance computational resources through USDA-ARS SCINet.
  
  

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Fred Gouker (Fred.Gouker@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2025/2026. 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.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend is $74,457.00 annually.

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.Northeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields.

Stipend

$74,457.00 Yearly

Point of Contact

Janeen

Eligibility Requirements">7 )

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Doctoral Degree.
• Discipline(s):
• Chemistry and Materials Sciences ( Show more