USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Maize Genetics and Breeding
*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 Raleigh, North Carolina.
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: A key objective of the Circular Economy for Reimagining Maize Agriculture (CERCA) project supported by USDA-ARS is to develop corn varieties with reduced grain protein content coupled with high yield. This will help US farmers continue to produce corn grain efficiently for animal feed and industrial uses while reducing input costs associated with nitrogen fertilizer. Rather than extracting nitrogen from soil in the form of grain, a new approach to corn agriculture is to recycle nitrogen on-farm as much as possible to improve its profitability and sustainability. One strategy to achieve this goal is to reduce fertilizer inputs and select for new varieties that primarily remobilize nitrogen from senescing leaves to roots, stalks, or cobs rather than seeds.
The participant will help evaluate three generations of selection for reduced grain protein content that were performed independently at three locations (IA, MN, and MO) and in three populations by CERCA collaborators. In 2026 samples of the three starting populations, the most recent selected generations from each location, and control unselected generations will be planted in NC and in other CERCA cooperator locations. The participant will be involved in field experiments and controlled pollinations to produce research materials. The participant will measure grain protein content on 96 individual plants within each sub-population using near-infrared reflectance spectrophotometry. Grain protein content data of each population will be compared to measure the effectiveness of individual plant selection to reduce grain protein content.
The participant will also perform low coverage sequencing of each plant and manage bioinformatics pipelines for genomic data analysis. Protein content data will be combined with genotype data to permit two tests of functional importance of each genetic variant: genome-wide association study and signals of selection due to allele frequency shifts under selection. Candidate genes identified by these approaches will be evaluated for involvement in biosynthesis and cellular localization of storage proteins. Genes identified in this way will represent targets for future gene editing to improve the rate of genetic improvement for reduced grain protein content.
Learning Objectives: The candidate will learn about genetic analysis of complex phenotypes in crops and the use of genetics to understand and manipulate grain protein content. The candidate will collaborate with the USDA ARS CERCA team. The candidate will gain experience by participating in CERCA meetings as well as ARS unit meetings.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is James Holland (jim.holland@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: July 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 $73,944 - $82,357 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.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. plant genetics, plant biochemistry, plant breeding, or related field), anticipated to be received by 2/16/2026.
Preferred skills:
- Experience in analytical chemistry, statistical analysis, R programming.
- Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publication is preferred.
Stipend
$73,944.00 – $82,357.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree to be received by 2/16/2026 12:00:00 AM.