USDA-ARS Animal Virology/Immunology Research Training Fellowship

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Kansas; On-site; USD 63,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stipend

Job summary

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education in Manhattan, Kansas, offers a post-graduate research opportunity with USDA ARS. The project focuses on animal virology and immunology under the Foreign Animal Diseases Research Unit (FADRU). You will work on virus isolation, vaccine evaluation, and advanced molecular techniques.

Anticipated start in 2026; appointment is one year with potential renewal. This opportunity is open to U.S. citizens; stipend is commensurate with education and experience.

Qualifications

• Master's or doctoral degree in Life Health and Medical Sciences (required).
• Degree received within the last five years (preferred).
• U.S. citizenship required for eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Develop proficiency in virus isolation, propagation, and titration techniques.
• Design and evaluate vaccines; measure serum antibody responses using neutralization assays and ELISAs.
• Apply molecular and cellular methods including recombinant DNA technology, sequencing, real-time PCR, and tissue culture.
• Conduct data interpretation and scientific communication under mentorship of FADRU scientists.

Education

Master's or Doctoral degree in Life Health and Medical Sciences

Job description

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code

USDA-ARS-PA-2026-0320

Application Deadline

10/23/2026 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 Manhattan, KS.

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 National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, KS is a state-of-the-art facility operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that is designed to help protect the nation’s agriculture, farmers and citizens against the threat and potential impact of serious animal diseases. The Foreign Animal Diseases Research Unit (FADRU) at NBAF develops novel strategies and countermeasures to control Foreign Animal Diseases (FADs) of livestock. Specifically, the research program focuses on foot‑and‑mouth disease, classical swine fever, and African swine fever.

Research Project

FADRU has opportunities for post‑graduate research scientists interested in training fellowships conducting research in animal virology and immunology. You will have training opportunities in virus isolation, propagation, and titration; design and preparation of vaccines; determination of serum antibody titers using virus neutralization assays and/or ELISAs; evaluation of vaccine potency and efficacy in swine and cattle; and use of molecular and cellular techniques such as recombinant DNA technology, DNA sequencing, real time PCR, protein expression, tissue culture, construction of recombinant virus, Western blotting, light and fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry. You may also have opportunities to use our in‑house high‑throughput and Big Data facilities for RNA‑seq, scRNA‑seq, microarray analysis, and bioinformatics including high-performance computation. You will participate in the research project under the mentorship and guidance of the Research Scientists of FADRU.

Learning Objectives

• Develop proficiency in virus isolation, propagation, and titration techniques.
• Acquire skills in vaccine design, formulation, and preparation.
• Understand how to measure serum antibody responses using virus neutralization assays and ELISAs.
• Learn how to evaluate vaccine potency and efficacy in swine and cattle models.
• Understand how to apply molecular and cellular biology methods including recombinant DNA technology, DNA sequencing, real‑time PCR, protein expression, and tissue culture.
• Gain experience in constructing recombinant viruses and performing Western blot analyses.
• Hone your microscopy techniques including light and fluorescence microscopy.
• Learn how to perform cell‑based analyses using flow cytometry.
• Learn how to utilize high‑throughput technologies such as RNA‑seq, single‑cell RNA‑seq, and microarray analysis.
• Understand how to conduct bioinformatics analysis using high-performance computing resources.
• Develop skills through mentored research under the guidance of FADRU research scientists, strengthening project design, data interpretation, and scientific communication skills.

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is James Zhu ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

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.

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 [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. immunology, molecular biology, microbiology, and medical science). Degree should have been received within the past five years.

Stipend

$62,729.00 – $86,019.00 Yearly

Point of Contact

Janeen

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 65 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
• Life Health and Medical Sciences
• Animal Health and Food Safety
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses
• Medicine
• Microbiology
• Veterinary Sciences
• Virology
• Veteran Status: Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 month(s).