USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Food Engineering & Food Science

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Manhattan (KS); On-site; USD 69,459; Full time

Job summary

A scientific research institution in Manhattan, Kansas is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to enhance nutritional quality of ingredients from grain crops. The role involves engineering extraction processes to produce protein concentrates and evaluating their impact on food products. Ideal candidates must have a recent doctoral degree in a relevant field. Participants receive a monthly stipend of $6,224 and the appointment lasts for two years, starting on June 1, 2026.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing or received a doctoral degree within the last four years.
• Ability to independently conduct research within budget and set timelines.

Responsibilities

• Develop new approaches to improve nutritional quality of ingredients from grain crops.
• Engineer processes to produce protein concentrates and evaluate their impact on food products.

Skills

Knowledge in agricultural and food process engineering

Education

Doctoral degree in Agricultural/Biological Engineering, Food Science, or related field

Job 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, Kansas.

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

The USDA-ARS Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research Unit in Manhattan, Kansas is seeking a Postdoctoral Research fellow to undertake research developing new approaches to improve and optimize nutritional quality of ingredients from grain crops. It is envisioned that improved ingredients can be incorporated into a greater diversity of food products to improve nutritional quality and human health while maintaining palatability. The goal of the research is to advance the concept of healthy foods with healthful ingredients. In collaboration with the Grain Science and Industry Department at Kansas State University and the USDA-ARS Grain Quality and Structure Research Unit in Manhattan, Kansas, the research fellow will engineer wet extraction and dry fractionation processes to produce protein concentrates and associated processing products (meals, starch, and flour) from grain legumes and evaluate how these different extraction processes impact the nutritional profile, physical properties, and effects on appearance, palatability, and flavor of a food product (functionality).

Learning Objectives

The Research Fellow will learn about integrating grain quality/properties and process engineering in developing improved nutritional ingredients from cereal grain crops that can be incorporated into foods or animal feed to improve nutritional quality and health condition while maintaining palatability by employing such processing operations as size reduction and separation. The Fellow will learn to independently identify and pursue research that addresses the broad goal of the project – “healthy foods with healthful ingredients” - in preparation for their future goals in independent faculty or industry roles. This will involve learning how to conduct research within budget, setting timelines, professional interaction with other scientists in the field and with support staff, and in research documentation through reports and scientific paper publication.

Mentor(s)

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

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

June 1, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length

The appointment will be for two years.

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 is $6,224 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 [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. Agricultural/Biological Engineering, Food Science, or related field). Degree must have been received within the past four years, or anticipated to be received by 5/29/2026.

Preferred skills

• Knowledge in agricultural and food process engineering including food engineering unit operations.