What are the responsibilities and job description for the USDA-ARS Chemical Analysis of Fungal Metabolites Used to Detect and Mitigate Mycotoxins in Food and Feed position at Zintellect?
*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 New Orleans, Louisiana.
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 sponsoring agency is the USDA-ARS, and the participant will collaborate with other researchers in the Food and Feed Safety Research Unit (FFSRU) at the Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC) located in New Orleans, Louisiana: https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/new-orleans-la/southern-regional-research-center/ffsr/
Research Project: The participant will experience ongoing research pertaining to safeguarding essential U.S. agricultural commodities (e.g. corn) from aflatoxin contamination using a multidisciplinary approach. This project proposes a novel approach using GC-MS to assess various fungal volatilized organic compounds (VOCs) for use in detection and mitigation strategies. Additionally, the participant will use LC-MS to identify soluble fungal metabolites and quantify various mycotoxins produced by these fungi. There will be opportunities to interact and collaborate with a diverse group of scientists within the Southern Regional Research Center, as well as externally with university and other USDA-ARS scientists. The ORISE participant will interact closely with their mentors to document and share quality research results through open-access, peer-reviewed journals, as well as update stakeholders on key findings.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of the mentors, the ORISE participant will have the opportunity to learn to: conduct in vitro and in planta experiments that help to advance early detection and mitigation strategies relating to aflatoxin producing fungi; care and maintain GC-MS and LC-MS instruments; develop and care of laboratory/greenhouse/field experiments; extract fungal metabolites from various matrices; conduct metabolite analyses; collect, analyze and quantify metabolites produced during fungal growth, as well as during fungus-fungus and fungus-plant interactions; present research progress to collaborators; prepare publishable research in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Mentor(s): The mentors for this opportunity are Dr. Geromy G. Moore (geromy.moore@usda.gov) and Dr. Matthew D. Lebar (matthew.lebar@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2026 or 2027. 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 $74,678 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.Southeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Salary : $74,678