USGS One Health Training at the Honolulu Field Station
Application Deadline
6/19/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
USGS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) located in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The USGS mission is to monitor, analyze, and predict current and evolving dynamics of complex human and natural Earth-system interactions and to deliver actionable intelligence at scales and timeframes relevant to decision makers. As the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, USGS collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides science about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems.
Research Project: This project, as part of the US Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center-Honolulu Field Station (HFS), seeks to advance approaches to identification and management of wildlife diseases and invasive species in marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Hawaii.
During the appointment, the participant will also participate in development of laboratory tools to diagnose disease in wildlife. This may entail a variety of approaches including but not limited to immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization, protein electrophoresis, cell culture, electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, PCR, qPCR and bioinformatics. Participant will collaborate with team members to think up novel approaches to fill such data gaps so as to help resource managers deal with wildlife health issues in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Participant will collaborate closely with experts at HFS to train to develop novel tools to control invasive species. This could range from devising compounds that can effectively kill marine invasives along with adopting or devising various engineering approaches to deliver such compounds to invasive marine species to effect their control at scale.
Learning Objectives: The participant will learn how to investigate unusual mortality events in wildlife including how to necropsy animals, take appropriate samples for laboratory analysis, and how to curate these samples for downstream research and development.
The participant will learn fundamentals of animal behavior, ecology, anatomy, cell biology, pathology, and histopathology and how they are applied to determine cause of death. The fellow will also learn how to integrate other laboratory findings such as microbiology, virology, toxicology, or parasitology to inform pathology findings and arrive at an understanding of pathogenesis of disease in animals. This will be done in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team at HFS. The participant will learn the advantages and pitfalls of different tools and the data gaps that currently exist on our knowledge of disease in wildlife.
The participant will also become familiarized with biology of threatened and endangered species in marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Hawaii along with threats that are posed by marine invasive species, and methods being developed to manage invasives. The participant will gain experience in designing project experiments, performing measurements in the laboratory, and communicating research findings through publications and presentations.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Thierry Work (thierry_work@usgs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 15, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years, but may be renewed upon recommendation of DOI and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.
Participant Stipend: Stipend rates may vary based on numerous factors, including opportunity, location, education, and experience. If you are interviewed, you can inquire about the exact stipend rate at that time and if selected, your appointment offer will include the monthly stipend rate. The anticipated stipend range is $105,906 - $110,000 annually.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
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 USGS. Participants do not become employees of USGS, 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: If you have questions about the application process please email USGS@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. Degree must have been received within the past one year.
Preferred skills:
- Demonstrable experience in Hawaii or the Pacific Islands is desirable
Stipend
$105,906.00 – $110,000.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 12 month(s).