*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 at Stoneville, Mississippi.

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 successful candidate will collaborate with Drs. Pierre Lau and Weiqiang Zhang to determine the mechanistic effect of bee stressors using honey bee embryonic cell lines and bees, test novel therapeutics aimed at improving bee health, analyze longitudinal colony monitoring data to identify and disentangle interacting stressors, and develop a proactive framework to predict and help prevent future mass colony loss events. The research fellow will develop laboratory tools for characterizing the underlying impacts of stressors on bee health and analytical skills for understanding colony level dynamics and predicting mass colony loss events.

Learning Objectives: The fellow will learn and apply multidisciplinary skills ranging from honey bee embryonic cell line research to large data analysis and modeling given the nature of the broad organismal to landscape level study. The fellow will also gain professional development opportunities that will transfer over to the next stage of their career. 

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

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: May 1, 2026. 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 will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $75,000 - $90,000 annually.

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

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received or be currently pursuing a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.

Preferred skills:

• Knowledge of molecular biology and statistics, and willingness to handle bees in lab and field settings.
• Demonstrated ability in oral and written communication of research results.

Stipend$75,000.00 – $90,000.00 Yearly