USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Research Opportunity in Control of Emerging Avian Metapneumovirus in Poultry

Oak Ridge Associated Universities; Athens (GA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Unit in Athens, Georgia, invites applications for a full-time research opportunity. You will join a team developing vaccines against avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) and evaluating immunologic assays to predict vaccine efficacy, with a focus on practical deployment in U.S.

poultry. The position requires a doctoral degree in Life Health and Medical Sciences or related fields,

Qualifications

• The qualified candidate should have received or be currently pursuing a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.

Education

Doctoral degree in Life Health and Medical Sciences or related fields

Job description

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code

USDA-ARS-SEA-2026-0386

Application Deadline

12/4/2026 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 Athens, Georgia.

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 Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Unit is part of the USDA-ARS, U.S. National Poultry Research Center. The unit focuses on vaccinology, pathobiology, and diagnostics for emerging or re-emerging poultry viruses.

Research Project

You will join a team developing vaccines against avian metapneumovirus (AMPV). New AMPV subtypes have recently been detected for the first time in the U.S. and continue to spread across all poultry sectors. Vaccination is one of the most effective control measures and is used in other countries, but no AMPV vaccine is currently available in the U.S. You will participate in developing AMPV vaccines and vaccination strategies that can be readily applied to U.S. poultry. The project also includes evaluating and developing immunologic assays to predict vaccine efficacy.

Learning Objectives

• Learn about avian metapneumovirus (AMPV), including emerging subtypes, transmission concerns, and impacts across U.S. poultry sectors.
• Gain experience supporting the development of vaccines for AMPV prevention and control in poultry.
• Learn how vaccination strategies are designed and evaluated for practical use in commercial U.S. poultry production.
• Develop familiarity with methods used to assess vaccine safety, immune response, and protective effectiveness.
• Gain experience evaluating and developing immunologic assays that can help predict AMPV vaccine efficacy.
• Learn how laboratory immune-response data can be used to guide vaccine selection, improvement, and deployment strategies.
• Build collaborative research skills as part of a team researching poultry-health, virology, immunology, and vaccine-development challenges.

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is Chang Lee ([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.

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 or be currently pursuing a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.

Stipend

$64,625.00 – $86,007.00 Yearly

Point of Contact

Janeen

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Doctoral Degree.
• Discipline(s):
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences
  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Agriculture
  • Agronomy and Crop Science
  • Anatomy
  • Animal Behavior
  • Animal Health and Food Safety
  • Animal Sciences
  • Basic Biomedical Sciences
  • Biochemistry
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biology (General)
  • Biophysics
  • Botany
  • Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Medicine
  • Computational Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Ecology
  • Ecosystem Ecology
  • Emergency and Incident Management
  • Entomology
  • Environmental Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Food Sciences and Technology
  • Genetics, including Genome Sciences
  • Health Physics
  • Horticulture
  • Immunology
  • Industrial Hygiene
  • Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses
  • Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology
  • Medicine
  • Microbiology
  • Neurosciences
  • Nursing
  • Nutritional Sciences
  • Occupational Health
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Physiology
  • Plant Sciences
  • Population and Community Ecology
  • Population Medicine
  • Public Health
  • Structural Biology
  • Toxicology
  • Veterinary Sciences
  • Virology
  • Wildlife Sciences
  • Zoology (General)