USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Research Opportunity in Control of Emerging Avian Metapneumovirus in Poultry

*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), located in Athens, Georgia.

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 Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Unit is part of the USDA-ARS, U.S. National Poultry Research Center. The unit focuses on vaccinology, pathobiology, and diagnostics for emerging or re-emerging poultry viruses.

Research Project: You will join a team developing vaccines against avian metapneumovirus (AMPV). New AMPV subtypes have recently been detected for the first time in the U.S. and continue to spread across all poultry sectors. Vaccination is one of the most effective control measures and is used in other countries, but no AMPV vaccine is currently available in the U.S. You will participate in developing AMPV vaccines and vaccination strategies that can be readily applied to U.S. poultry. The project also includes evaluating and developing immunologic assays to predict vaccine efficacy.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, you will:

• Learn about avian metapneumovirus (AMPV), including emerging subtypes, transmission concerns, and impacts across U.S. poultry sectors.
• Gain experience supporting the development of vaccines for AMPV prevention and control in poultry.
• Learn how vaccination strategies are designed and evaluated for practical use in commercial U.S. poultry production.
• Develop familiarity with methods used to assess vaccine safety, immune response, and protective effectiveness.
• Gain experience evaluating and developing immunologic assays that can help predict AMPV vaccine efficacy.
• Learn how laboratory immune-response data can be used to guide vaccine selection, improvement, and deployment strategies.
• Build collaborative research skills as part of a team researching poultry-health, virology, immunology, and vaccine-development challenges.

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

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 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.Southeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Salary : $64,625 - $86,007