*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 Ames, Iowa.

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 project will characterize flow cytometric responses in peripheral blood of domestic livestock and wildlife after vaccination or after infection with zoonotic bacterial and/or viral pathogens.  Under the guidance of a mentor, the fellow will have the opportunity to perform flow cytometric and immunologic assays, analyze data, and assist with the instrumentation and laboratories associated with the research.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the fellow will learn to or enhance current experiences by:

• Developing an advanced knowledge of flow cytometric techniques;
• Designing and characterizing new probes against immune system proteins for use in flow cytometric assays;
• Identifying new monoclonals that bind to specific targets on immune cells of wildlife and domestic livestock species; and 
• Incorporating flow cytometric assays into research approaches broadly characterizing immune function.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Steven Olsen (steven.olsen@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: January 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one years, 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 will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $87,000 - $91,000 yearly.

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.Midwest@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. microbiology or immunology). Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received by start of appointment.

Preferred skills:

• Knowledge of flow cytometric techniques and immunologic assays, as related to infectious disease in animal hosts.
• Purification of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, in vitro culture and maintenance of PBMC, design of new probes or assays to assess cytokine expression in T cells.