USDA-ARS Research Fellowship in Turfgrass Genomics

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Logan (UT); On-site; USD 69,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

USDA ARS Logan, UT offers a two-year postdoctoral opportunity to develop genome annotation and high-throughput genotyping tools for turfgrass. You will explore AI-assisted gene annotation, compare methods, and contribute to Docker/Singularity pipelines for HPC clusters with documentation for broader use.

You will collaborate with the ARS Turfgrass Working Group, learn to publish containerized workflows, and produce tutorials for researchers. Start Winter 2026/2027.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Plant Science, Bioinformatics, Genomics, or related field, earned within the last four years.
• Experience with genome annotation and genotyping in polyploid species.
• Programming skills in Python and R; experience building genomic analysis pipelines.

Skills

Genome annotation

Genotyping pipelines

Python

R

Machine learning

Plant science

Polyploidy knowledge

Education

PhD in Plant Science or Genomics

Tools

Docker

Singularity

High-performance computing

Job description

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code

USDA-ARS-HQPD-2026-0244

Application Deadline

11/20/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.

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

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 Logan, Utah.

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

During this project, you will be stationed at the Forage and Range Research Unit in Logan, UT, where you will explore the development of innovative tools for genome annotation and high-throughput genotyping of turfgrass plants with complex genomes. Guided by a mentor, you will have the opportunity to investigate the effectiveness of newly developed AI tools for gene annotation and compare them to current methods applied in complex turfgrass species. Through your participation, you will contribute to identifying and refining best practices for gene annotation in several turfgrass species. Additionally, you will collaborate with researchers in the ARS Turfgrass Working Group (TWG) to develop methods to call genotypes in polyploid grasses and format results for gene association studies. You will engage in evaluating software designed to produce robust genotypes in polyploids, both with and without imputation, and organize the optimized annotation and genotyping methods into containerized pipelines using tools like Docker and Singularity. These pipelines will be tailored for USDA ARS high-performance computing (HPC) clusters but will also be adaptable for broader use. As part of the project, you will help with the creation of documentation to support the scientific community in utilizing these pipelines effectively. This experience will provide you with hands-on opportunities to enhance scientific computing methods and contribute to advancing genome annotation and genotyping practices.

Learning Objectives

• Develop skills in genome annotation and genotyping in complex polyploid genomes
• Learn how to incorporate machine learning and AI into genomics research
• Develop skills in communicating and collaborating with scientists and staff in a group to advance research objectives
• Learn how to develop and publish containerized pipelines, documentation, and tutorials for use by other researchers

Mentor(s)

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

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

Winter 2026/2027. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length

The appointment will initially be for two years, 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. The anticipated stipend range is $6,223.17 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 have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (Plant Science, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics, Genomics, or a related field of study). Degree must have been received within the past four years.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge of genome annotation and genotyping.
• Programming skills, such as Python and R.
• Skills in developing pipelines for genomic analyses.
• Knowledge and some experience in applying machine learning and AI to genomic analyses.
• Knowledge of plant science and polyploidy.

Stipend

$6,223.17 Monthly

Point of Contact

Janeen

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 48 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
• Computer, Information, and Data Sciences
• Artificial Intelligence (including Robotics, Computer Vision, Human Language Processing, and Machine Learning)
• Data Science
• Scientific Computing and Informatics
• Life Health and Medical Sciences (9 )