Postdoctoral Ecology Of Feral Alfalfa Fellowship

Description

ARS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is available within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), with the Vegetable Crops Research Unit (VCRU) located in Madison, Wisconsin.

Research Project: This project examines populations of feral alfalfa, concentrating on their distribution, the presence of glyphosate resistance (GR) gene, variation in reproductive strategies, pollinators, pests, and disease over space, and on population growth. The purpose of the project is determining the potential impact of the GR gene on all of these variables, including population growth.

Project activities will include field work to determine the reproductive strategies, pollinators, pests, and disease, and to gather all data to build a life cycle graph for the population Matrix models. This will include comparisons between plants with and without the GR gene. The postdoctoral associate will be in charge of compiling and performing statistical analyses of the data collected from different sites and states. The participant will oversee experiments needed to gather data on the different stages of the life cycle of feral alfalfa and to build population Matrix models to determine the rate of growth of these populations. The participant will also be in charge of preparing manuscripts for the ecological part of the project.

Learning Objectives: The participant will learn and increase their expertise in the process of experimental design, data collection, data analyses
and data presentation (oral and written).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: April 2022. 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.

Participant Stipend: The participant(s) will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The annual stipend rate for this opportunity is currently $52,000 per year. A travel allowance of $1,200 will be provided to present results from this research at meetings.

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 ARS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, ARS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. However, this position requires a pre-appointment check and a full background investigation. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

This is an equal opportunity program open to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or covered veteran's status.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (eg Agronomy and Crop Science, Botany, Biology, Ecology, Entomology, Evolutionary Biology, Plant Sciences, Population and Community Ecology), or be currently pursuing the degree with completion by the end of June 2022.

Preferred skills:

• Knowledge of ecological studies, experimental design, pollinators, plant/pollinator interactions, and reproductive biology
• Some field work experience
• Previous experience with scientific writing
• Previous experience working with population Matrix models and with statistics

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Doctoral Degree.
• Discipline(s):
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences