USDA-ARS Research Fellowship: Animal Bioinformatics
*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 Moscow, Idaho.
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 participant will be stationed at the Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research Unit (RSPER) in Dubois, Idaho and will be located at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID. The RSPER is home to 2,500 breeding ewes and rams made up of five breeds and one new composite line. The fellow will conduct research aimed at the development of genomic reference populations for U.S. sheep breeds. The objective of the research is utilize ARS genetic resources to develop reference panels to transform low-cost SNP data to whole genome sequencing, which can then be used by researchers and industry for a wide variety of genetic and genomic applications. The participant will disseminate research results at scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed scientific publications.
The broad goal of the research is to develop U.S. genomic resource populations to enable imputation from SNP data to whole genome sequencing (WGS). The specific goals are to:
- Establish and maintain data processing pipelines associated with WGS mapping and variant calling;
- Evaluate the accuracy of imputation from SNP data to WGS in order to optimize the procedures prior to providing these tools to industry; and
- Utilize WGS data to perform genetic analyses using RSPER data (e.g., genome-wide association studies).
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of the mentor, the fellow will learn about:
- Advancing technical expertise in high-throughput data analysis
- Developing independent research capabilities
- Enhancing professional skills for a career in research or industry
- Strengthening collaborative, communication, and project management abilities
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Carrie Wilson (carrie.wilson@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 $6,223 monthly.
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 have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (Animal Science, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics, Biology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, or a related field of study). Degree must have been received within the past four years.
Preferred skills:
- Knowledge of whole genome sequencing mapping and variant calling as well as programming skills, such as Python and R.
- A working knowledge of animal science (preferably sheep), and statistics.
Stipend
$6,223.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Doctoral Degree.