What are the responsibilities and job description for the USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship Studying Sex-Chromosome Evolution in Tephritid Fruit Flies 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 Hilo, Hawaii.
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: Sex chromosomes in insects have historically been poorly characterized and poorly annotated. This is primarily due to their small size and repetitive nature that results in difficulties in sequencing and assembly. In the last three years, USDA-ARS has invested significantly in improving our capacity for genome sequencing and ARS scientists have produced 142 new insect genomes across the breadth of Insecta with more currently in preparation. The availability of sequenced insect genomes has increased greatly with current technologies, but the necessity of characterization of sex chromosomes and their structural annotation represents a bottleneck in the analysis of newly assembled genomes. The primary project of the fellow will be to learn how to characterize sex-chromosomes in tephritid fruit fly species to contribute to functional genomic studies that will serve as a foundation for genetic pest management.
The fellow will investigate the structure, function, and epigenetic control of genes on the X and Y chromosomes of fruit flies in the insect family Tephritidae which are major agricultural pests of specialty crops. Using full-length transcriptome sequencing and ATAC-Seq, the fellow will explore chromosome-scale genome assemblies to evaluate changes in gene content on the X and Y chromosomes across taxa. The goal of this project is to better understand sex chromosome evolution in Tephritidae and apply knowledge of sex-specific gene function contribute to the development of novel pest management methods. The fellow will be a part of guided experimental design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation.
Learning Objectives: To support the research and training of the postdoctoral research associate, the research unit has expertise in arthropod genomics and houses a multi-million-dollar genomics laboratory highlighted by a suite of high-throughput sequencing platforms (PacBio Revio, Oxford Nanopore Promethion, and Element Aviti) for which the fellow will gain hands on experience with library preparation and sequencing if desired.
Additionally, high-performance compute infrastructure is available, including hardware focused on AI approaches which can be utilized by this project, including training and professional development opportunities in bioinformatics and data science and a large network of scientists and postdoctoral research fellows as your peers.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Sheina Sim (sheina.sim@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 two years.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.
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.HQPostdoc@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.