USDA-ARS Food Animal Metabolism Research Unit Fellowship
*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 Fargo, North Dakota.
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 fellow will be in in the Food Animal Metabolism Research Unit (FAMRU), Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND. The mission of FAMRU is to investigate the fate of chemicals in food animals or food animal systems and to apply this knowledge to maintain a safer food supply. The fellow's research supports the mission and goals of ARS National Program 108, Food Safety (100%).
The candidate will be a part of development of sustainable technologies that solve perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in complex environmental and food animal matrices. The candidate will also be a part of identification of drug metabolites in food animals and synthesize and characterize labeled/unlabeled compounds. The fellow will collaborate with the team members on the development of high throughput analytical methods for target compounds and investigation of the fate of target chemicals in vitro and live food animals.
Learning Objectives: The candidate will receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary training in analytical, environmental, and synthetic chemistry, with a focus on PFAS remediation and the identification of drug metabolites in biological samples—a critical area of research supported by industrial, governmental, and academic laboratories worldwide. The candidate will have opportunities for scientific writing and publishing ARS research in peer-reviewed journals. This role will help advance knowledge and expertise in addressing real-world challenges in the US agricultural field.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Anu Singh (Anuradha.Singh@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 1, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will 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. The anticipated stipend is $89,508 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.HQPostdoc@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 (e.g. chemistry [inorganic/organic/medicinal/analytical], biochemistry, pharmacology or a closely related field). Degree must have been received within the past four years, or anticipated to be received by 5/15/2026.
Preferred skills:
- Knowledge of catalysis with synthetic and purification skills including but not limited to crystallization, distillation, and chromatography, qualitative and quantitative mass spectrometry, 1D and 2D NMR, and various other spectroscopies/methods are highly desirable.
- Candidates with experience handling biological samples are preferred
Stipend
$89,508.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 48 months or anticipated to be received by 5/15/2026 12:00:00 AM.