USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Soil Ecology / Mycotoxins

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code

USDA-ARS-PWA-2026-0185

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

6/19/2026 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 Pest Management and Biocontrol Unit of the Arid Land Agricultural Research Center located in Tucson, Arizona.

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 overall research goal of the lab is to develop, improve, optimize, and disseminate mycotoxin mitigation technologies to growers. This is accomplished through a combination of laboratory and field studies aimed at understanding how different biotic and abiotic factors influence mycotoxin contamination risk and biological control of mycotoxigenic fungi. The overall objective of the current study is to elucidate the influence of soil biotic and abiotic properties on the size and composition of soil-borne mycotoxigenic fungal populations and subsequent contamination of corn. The specific objectives are to:

• Determine the extent to which soil properties and environmental factors explain intra- and inter-regional variation in mycotoxigenic fungal populations and mycotoxin contamination severity, and;
• Characterize soil microbial communities that may contribute to differences in soil populations of mycotoxigenic fungi and subsequent contamination of corn.
  
  

Learning Objectives: Through this fellowship, the successful applicant will gain valuable hands-on experience and develop expertise in soil ecology and metagenomics. Specifically, the participant will have the opportunity to learn and enhance skills in:

• Experimental design
• DNA-based quantification of mycotoxigenic fungi
• Characterization of soil microbiomes utilizing culture-based and metabarcoding approaches
• Bioinformatics and statistical analysis
• Scientific writing and communication
  
  

In addition, the participant will gain experience by collaborating with an interdisciplinary team to translate research results into practical tools for growers to predict risk of mycotoxin contamination and implement evidence-based mitigation strategies.

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

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 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 range is $$70,000 - $$76,000 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.PacificWest@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 (Plant Pathology, Mycology, Microbiology, Bioinformatics, Population Genetics, Ecology, Computational Biology, or related disciplines).

Preferred Skills

• Experience in molecular biology, genomics, and/or metagenomics.
• Familiar with analyzing data in a High Performance Computing environment.
• Experience in preparation of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
  
  

Stipend

$70,000.00 – $76,000.00 Yearly

Point of Contact

Janeen

Eligibility Requirements">4 )

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Doctoral Degree.
• Discipline(s):
• Environmental and Marine Sciences ( Show more