USDA-ARS Research Analysis for Agricultural Strategic Planning
Application Deadline
11/6/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.
ARS Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). This opportunity is remote.
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: ARS is updating our strategic planning processes for managing our agricultural research portfolio. National Program Leaders are collaborating with the Office of Scientific Quality and Review to implement the Agile National Program Cycle (ANPC) and Agricultural Innovation Platform Team processes which are intended to streamline the peer-review process, increase research agility, innovation and relevance, and facilitate the Agency's response to rapidly emerging challenges. As projects from each of the four divisions of the Office of National Programs (ONP) enter the ANPC, ONP must analyze our progress by collecting, organizing, and maintaining program data using internal ARS systems; prepare data summaries, dashboards, and reports; and support data quality assurance and documentation.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, you will:
- Gain experience learning about USDA-ARS strategic planning and agricultural research portfolio management.
- Learn how the Agile National Program Cycle and Agricultural Innovation Platform Team processes streamline peer review, improve research agility, and address emerging agricultural challenges.
- Learn to collect, organize, maintain, and analyze program data from internal ARS information systems across the Office of National Programs’ four divisions.
- Develop skills in data quality assurance, documentation, and standardized management of research-program information.
- Collaborate with the mentor to help prepare data summaries, dashboards, and reports to monitor implementation progress.
- Build an understanding of how research priorities, peer review, innovation, and portfolio management are integrated within a federal agricultural research agency.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Caird Rexroad (caird.rexroadiii@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: October/November 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for 11-12 months.
Level of Participation: The appointment is part time.
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 bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields.
Preferred skills:
- Familiarity with USDA ARS and accompanying data management programs, processes, and community of support for sourcing data to be used in the fellowship.
- Proficient with Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe.
Stipend
$3,000.00 – $4,500.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree.