USDA-ARS Postgraduate Fellowship in Bacterial Biofilms in Cattle Farm Environments in the Northeastern U.S.
*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 Burlington, Vermont.
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: This opportunity, available at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in the Food Systems Research Unit in Burlington, VT, focuses on understanding the dynamics and characterization of environmental bacterial biofilms that promote sanitizer tolerance and dissemination of foodborne pathogens in the beef-on-dairy farm environments in the Northeastern US. The unit’s research focuses on assessing the changes needed within supply chains and across agricultural landscapes for food systems to provide animal-sourced foods in amounts and preparations that support improved nutrition and human health and improved economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The fellow will have the opportunity to be involved in research that aims to understand the dynamics of biofilm formation, bacterial fitness in those biofilms, and the role of multispecies bacterial biofilms in the farm environment that will aid in identifying strategies to overcome stress resistance shown by pathogenic bacteria present in biofilm niches. The fellow will help test the following hypothesis: Identification and evaluation of effective strategies to mitigate the formation of biofilms would aid in the implementation of these strategies on small- to mid-sized cattle farms, thereby reducing the incidence/prevalence of foodborne pathogens in cattle entering the slaughter facilities.
Learning Objectives: The fellow will gain experience in planning experiments and data collection, enumeration/detection of bacterial groups, screening of biofilm formation, pathogen protection in biofilm, metagenomic shotgun sequencing and analysis, evaluation of decontamination/sanitation strategies in the cattle farm environment and statistical analysis related to the experiments. The ORISE postgraduate fellow will also gain experience in literature reviews, writing up results, presenting the research and contributing to peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Divya Jaroni (Divya.Jaroni@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: April 6, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one years 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.
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.Northeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's or master's degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree should be received within the past five years.
Stipend
$5,000.00 – $5,400.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree received within the last 60 month(s).