USDA ARS Pre-Harvest Produce Safety Fellowship
*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 Beltsville, Maryland.
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.
The mission of our research is to improve food safety and reduce foodborne illness by examining routes of contamination of fruits and vegetables with bacterial pathogens.
Research Project: The participant will examine issues related to irrigation water quality and sustainability. Specifically, the fellow will research to examine specific pre-harvest environments that support bacterial pathogen (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica) survival under a variety of conditions that are not optimal growth conditions. The survival data of pathogens under these conditions (growth matrices + sub-optimal growth temperatures + antimicrobial stresses) will also be used to assess transfer of pathogen loads to fruits and vegetables. The microbial community changes and its influence on pathogen levels will also be quantified. These data will fit into models that could predict the likelihood of contamination with certain environmental conditions.
Under guidance of the mentor the participant will design and be a part off all aspects of the experiment, from laboratory to growth chambers to fields, in consultation with ARS and academic collaborators. This growth and survival assays, combinations of growth / survival conditions, methodology and protocols, along with digital PCR, multiplex PCR, and microbial community analysis required. Participant will also learn about statistical analysis of data in consultation with ARS colleagues. Participant will be a part of field studies and cultivation and growth of plants/ fruits, and filter construction and maintenance as related to the research project. Participant will learn about scientific and laboratory setup and organization of these studies.
Learning Objectives: The participant will learn methods to quantify and / or determine the prevalence of bacterial pathogen loads in irrigation water, novel filter design concepts, integrated data collection and analysis methods. The participant will have the opportunity to learn more in-depth statistical analysis techniques or molecular biology tools (bioinformatics) through various trainings and workshops if desired, and also through collaboration on interdisciplinary project within ARS. This is an integrated produce safety research project, and the participant will have opportunities to learn at each stage of the continuum. Digital PCR techniques, along with automated nucleic acid extraction techniques, microbial community and analysis and introductory data science skills will be required for the project
The participant can expect to present data / findings at international scientific meetings related to food safety / environmental microbiology, and regional (U.S. Mid-Atlantic region) meetings as well. USDA ARS EMFSL is located in the metro-Washington, D.C. area at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), which provides ample interaction with ARS scientists as well as with other government research scientists and policymakers at regulatory agencies in private industry. EMFSL has a strong history of collaborating with many different academic institutions, U.S. federal government agencies on large field- and laboratory-based research, and private industry and stakeholder research projects. ORISE fellows, post-doctoral research associates and interns who have previously been at EMFSL have had success in using their experience to gain different opportunities at the state and federal government levels, and with trade associations and in private industry.
There are three learning objectives for the participant.
- Characterize bacterial pathogens levels in the produce pre-harvest environment and follow their levels and ability to transfer to fruits and vegetables.
- Model bacterial pathogenic levels through complex survival and growth patterns.
- Utilize either data analysis or molecular analysis tools (or both) to inform strategies to optimize pre-harvest guidelines for farmers that can reduce pathogenic bacterial levels on fruits and vegetables.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Manan Sharma (manan.sharma@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2025. 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 $6,277 - $6,897 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.Northeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past (one) year.
Preferred skills:
- Basic food or environmental microbiology skills are helpful for this fellowship (culturing and quantifying microorganisms at high and low levels from complex matrices, PCR experience, experience with water filtration or water quality is helpful).
- The ability to perform in a collaborative team research environment is highly desired.
- Organizing and formatting data for statistical analysis is also an extremely valued skill in this fellowship.
- Comfortable presenting scientific data and food safety background to a variety of audiences with varying educational levels.
- Technical understanding of general, food and environmental microbiology coupled with the ability to analyze specific settings for pathogenic microorganisms.
- Molecular biology skills sufficient to characterize the microbial community present in dynamic settings both qualitatively and quantitatively.
- Bioinformatic and genomic analysis skills sufficient to inform changes in both pathogen and non-pathogen microbial communities.
Stipend
$6,277.00 – $6,897.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 12 month(s).