Biologist (Computational)

US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Fort Collins (CO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) invites applicants for a Research Fellow position focused on spatial and population ecology, disease ecology, epidemiology, and wildlife management. Strong programming skills and quantitative background are essential for data analysis, modeling, and field collaboration with surveillance data.

Candidates should meet federal qualifications (GS-11) or higher education levels, including graduate studies toward a PhD.

Qualifications

• Degree in biological sciences or related discipline.
• Eligibility per federal qualification standards (GS-11) or PhD.
• One year of specialized experience at GS-09 equivalent.
• Ability to communicate technical information to diverse audiences.
• Transcripts required for education-based qualifications.

Skills

Statistical programming

Data analysis / modeling

Scientific publishing

Data cleaning pipelines

Scientific communication

Field data collection coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in biological sciences

PhD progress / graduate education

Tools

R

MATLAB

C++

Job description

This position serves as a Research Fellow within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The candidate should be highly motivated, innovative and possess a strong quantitative background in spatial ecology, population ecology, disease ecology, epidemiology, and/or wildlife management, and proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., R, Matlab, C++, etc…). Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience including courses equivalent to a major (24 semester hours), as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (Education must be degree-seeking and transcripts must be provided with application documents)

-AND-

FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL:

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

1. Proficiency with a statistical programming language and data analysis and/or simulation modeling;
2. Ability to lead all aspects of first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals;
3. Ability to develop code-based pipelines for automating data cleaning and management of ecological and wildlife disease surveillance data;
4. Ability to effectively and efficiently communicate technical information about wildlife disease research both orally and in writing to diverse audiences;
5. Ability to coordinate disease surveillance and/or ecological data collection workflows and assist with data collection in wildlife as needed to ensure statistically sound study designs in the field.;

OR

Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. (Education must be degree-seeking and transcripts must be provided with application documents)

OR

Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

• This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
• You are qualifying for the position based on education.
• You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
• This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.