USDA-ARS Alfalfa Plant Genetic Resources, Population Genetics and Breeding

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Prosser (WA); On-site; USD 79,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance through ORISE

Stipend: $7,059–$7,859 monthly

Job summary

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ARS in Prosser, Washington offers a full-time research opportunity through ORISE to apply high-throughput genomics and phenomics to alfalfa germplasm. The appointment focuses on characterizing genetic diversity and improving germplasm with data uploads to GRIN-Global.

The candidate will collaborate with program staff and other ARS collaborators, with a one-year appointment, starting August 31, 2026, and a monthly stipend of $7,059–$7,859. Citizenship: U.S.

Qualifications

• The candidate should have received or be pursuing a doctoral degree in relevant fields.
• Preferred Skills include plant sciences, genetics, and data management.
• Experience with agricultural plant sciences and data handling is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Apply high-throughput genomics and phenomics tools to characterize alfalfa collections.
• Collaborate with ARS and GRIN-Global data platforms for data uploads.
• Work within greenhouse or field plots in Prosser, WA; engage with collaborators.

Skills

Agricultural plant sciences

Plant genetic resources

Forage legumes

Plant genetics

Plant breeding

Molecular biology

Bioinformatics

Data management

Team player

Communication skills

Education

Doctoral Degree in Life Health and Agricultural Sciences

Job description

How To Apply

To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code

USDA-ARS-PWA-2026-0309

A Complete Application Consists Of

• An application
• Transcript(s) – For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• Two educational or professional recommendations

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

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Application Deadline

10/9/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• 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 Prosser, Washington.

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: Alfalfa is the world’s most important forage legume crop, and its plant genetic resource (PGR) collections contain important genetic diversity for crop improvement. Systematic and thorough genotypic and phenotypic characterization would improve collection utility and aid in genomewide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS). Useful diversity could be made more accessible to breeders via pre-breeding activities creating publicly available improved germplasm.

Objective: Apply high-throughput genomics and phenomics tools to characterize the USDA ARS National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) alfalfa collections and previously improved germplasm. Analyses of data may include handling, filtering, and calculations of genetic diversity, relationships, and GWAS/GS. Information is expected to be uploaded into public databases to ensure all data become publicly available. Project intends to create or advance crosses between accessions containing useful traits via phenotypic or genetic/GS.

Approach: During this educational appointment, you will collaborate in research closely with PGITRU unit members, especially the Temperate-adapted Forage Legume program. You will liaise with other established USDA ARS collaborators including Breeding Insight and alfalfa research collaborators in CA, MN, WA, and WI while conducting research. The alfalfa collections and improved germplasm will be characterized in greenhouse or field plantings in Prosser, Washington. Genotyping activities will be outsourced, and data receipt and initial quality assessment will be coordinated with the genotyping service institution and collaborators. You will receive sequence/genotype data, conduct analyses to survey variation, calculate relationships, and other relevant analyses of genebank accessions and improved germplasm. You will interact with collaborators to upload genotypic and phenotypic data directly into the GRIN-Global database or to link data generated via an external public platform for access. Population level crosses will be initiated, or existing crossed families will be grown, phenotyped or genotyped, and selections made to advance to the next generation. The program has office, laboratory, greenhouse, field space, equipment, and supplies for planned experiments. Staff, collaborators, and lead scientists will support you in technical aspects of project.

Expected Results: New genetic and phenotypic characterization of the alfalfa genetic resources and/or improved germplasm will improve collection management and promote their efficient use, for traits including but not limited to forage quality and disease resistance. Results may include:

• Estimating genetic diversity and population structure among and between all accessions in the collection,
• Correct accession taxonomic assignments,
• Redundancy identification leading to increased efficiency,
• Gaps in coverage revealed leading to targets for acquisition, and
• Aptly characterized PGR accessions in collections that can be used to identify subsets of variation for in-house and stakeholder mining of beneficial alleles in pre-breeding.

Results will allow US breeders to create new varieties with higher forage quality, require fewer chemical or irrigation inputs, and be more resistant to new insect, disease, or environmental threats, thus increasing farmer profits. With fully characterized alfalfa, breeders and geneticists can request the best accessions or incorporate improved germplasm for their research programs, including expanded marker trait associations via GWAS and breeding of new cultivars for all traits of interest. Characterization of the alfalfa can aid in effective management of the germplasm collection while improving and promoting the use of improved germplasm by stakeholders.

Learning Objectives: As a result of this experience, you will:

• Learn how to measure, analyze, and use the genetic diversity in the USDA National Plant Germplasm System alfalfa collection and in improved alfalfa,
• Understand and become proficient with phenomics and phenotyping approaches in greenhouse and field experiments,
• Learn how to apply phenotypic/phenomic and genetic/genomic information from marker traits association studies to selection steps in crop plants, and
• Develop skills in communication (writing, presenting, etc.), collaboration and in conducting scientific research.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Marilyn Warburton. If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 31, 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.

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 to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, 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 [e-mail] 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

• Experience with agricultural plant sciences, plant genetic resources, forage legumes, plant genetics, plant breeding, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and data management.
• Organizational capacity for curating, cataloging, and storing large amounts of data, samples, such as seeds, plants or DNA.
• Experience caring for plants in the field, greenhouse, and growth chamber.
• Attention to detail in data collection and record keeping.
• Team player and comfortable with communication through phone, email, and in person to coordinate with collaborators locally and in other offices and states.
• Consistency, timeliness, and independence.

Stipend

$7,059.00 – $7,859.00 Monthly

Point of Contact

Janeen

Eligibility Requirements

Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only

Degree: Doctoral Degree.

Discipline(s): Life Health and Medical Sciences (Life Health and Medical Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Agronomy and Crop Science, Botany, Genetics, including Genome Sciences, Horticulture)