Supervisory Research Plant Pathologist/Supervisory Research Geneticist

Agricultural Research Service

Aberdeen (ID)

Hybrid

USD 126,000 - 192,000

Full time

2 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Telework eligible

Job summary

Agricultural Research Service in Aberdeen, Idaho, seeks a Supervisory Research Plant Pathologist/Supervisory Research Geneticist to lead efforts in disease resistance screening and genetic mapping. You will contribute to NSGC analyses and work on resistance gene implementation in breeding programs.

Qualified candidates have plant pathology or genetics background with graduate-level study; experience with genetic marker analyses is valued.

Qualifications

Degree in plant pathology or related field with courses in botany or plant science.
Graduate education in plant pathology or genetics is preferred.
Courses in genetics and statistics are acceptable as qualifying.

Responsibilities

Contribute to analysis of disease resistance sources and genetic markers.
Develop tools for disease resistance screening and for mapping resistance genes.

Skills

Plant pathology knowledge

Genetics understanding

Genetic mapping concepts

Data analysis

Education

Plant Pathology Series, 0434 degree

Genetics Series, 0440 degree

Tools

Genetic marker analysis

Job description

Supervisory Research Plant Pathologist/Supervisory Research Geneticist

Hiring Agency: Agricultural Research Service

This position is located in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Pacific West Area (PWA), at the Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit in Aberdeen, Idaho. In this position, you will help to develop new tools for disease resistance screening, genetic mapping of resistance genes, and practical application of mapped genes to resistance breeding.

Key Responsibilities

Contribute to the work of the National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) in the area of analysis of identifying new sources of disease resistance and developing genetic markers and implementing genetic marker analyses for key traits.

Requirements & Education

Basic Requirements Plant Pathology Series, 0434 Degree: plant pathology; or a related scientific discipline that included at least 20 semester hours in basic botany or plant science, and 10 semester hours in plant pathology.

Graduate Education: must have been in plant pathology, or in one of the recognized subject-matter fields of plant pathology, or have followed a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on plant pathology or one of the recognized subject‑matter fields of plant pathology, such as those dealing with particular types of pathogens, diseases of particular kinds of crops, or chemical or biological controls.

Graduate study in related fields such as microbiology, entomology, plant physiology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, or chemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on plant pathology. Evaluation of Education: courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, agronomy, forestry, horticulture, or similar subjects may be used to meet the 20-semester-hour requirement in basic botany or plant science.

To meet the specific 10-semester-hour requirement in plant pathology, the courses must have been in plant pathology, or have dealt with specific subject matter areas of plant pathology such as those concerned with viruses, fungal or bacterial diseases, host-plant relationships, biotic or chemical controls, environmental or physiological diseases, parasitic diseases, etc.

Genetics Series, 0440 Degree: genetics; or one of the basic biological sciences that included at least 9 semester hours in genetics. Graduate Education: Genetics, or a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on genetics.

Graduate study in related fields such as agronomy, horticulture, animal, dairy, or poultry husbandry, entomology, microbiology, plant pathology, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and physiology that involved cross-training in genetics is qualifying, provided it placed sufficient emphasis on genetics. Evaluation of Education: Most students in the field take graduate work because specific training in genetics may be limited at the undergraduate level.

Under these circumstances, it may be necessary to evaluate undergraduate course work in genetics in one of two ways, as described below, to determine whether or not it is qualifying. Courses dealing with genetics, some phase of genetics, or specific techniques that are applied in genetics work are acceptable.

This includes courses in genetics, plant or animal genetics, molecular and cellular biology, mathematics and statistics (as they apply to genetics), population dynamics, and certain techniques such as those dealing with irradiation. Course work consisting of an appropriate combination of basic courses in genetics and cytology or statistics are also acceptable.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Agricultural Research Service, Department of Agriculture.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $125776 – $192331/yr.

Is this position remote or telework eligible?

This position is eligible for telework.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-11-27.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Transition' hiring path.