USDA-ARS Molecular Biology Fellowship in Cotton Fiber Bioscience & Utilization
Application Deadline
9/25/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*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.
Research Project: Cotton Fiber Bioscience & Utilization Research Unit conducts a major effort to elucidate genetic, genomic, biological pathways regulating cotton fiber quality traits and yield to provide a marketing advantage to domestic cotton farmers and textile manufacturers in the global market. The current project aims to utilize phenomic, genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolic approaches to identifying genetic bases of determining cotton fiber quality and yield. The goal is to improve cotton fiber quality and yield.
You will join an interdisciplinary unit research team that is focused on improving and better utilizing cotton fibers, with a staff that includes 12 scientists and support scientists. The overall objectives of this project is to develop novel genomic tools and approaches to enhance the development of new cotton genotypes with improved fiber properties. The specific research activities for the participant to participate in include cultivating and maintaining field/greenhouse cotton plants, isolate DNA/RNAs, and routine molecular biology laboratory experiments.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will have the opportunity to learn to:
- Discover candidate cotton genes associated with specific traits by using genome wide association studies
- Validate candidate genes of cotton plants through biochemical and functional analyses from cotton plants grown in field, greenhouse, and growth chambers.
- Design and develop experiments including DNA & RNA extractions and RNA-Seq
- Analyze data for reporting experimental results
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Dr. Hee-Jin Kim (heejin.kim@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: October 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 and is negotiable.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $46,000 - $50,000 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 or have received a bachelor's degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by start of appointment.
Preferred skills:
- Able to operate molecular biological and chemical laboratory equipment.
- Able to plan and carry out individual experiments within prescribed approaches.
- Able to organize or review scientific literature related to the research project.
Stipend
$46,000.00 – $50,000.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.