Vector Entomology Research Fellowship: Plant Disease & Vectors

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Salinas (CA); On-site; USD 93,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) invites applications for a research opportunity in Salinas, California. The ARS unit focuses on biology and management of insect vectors and viruses of vegetables, with a goal to advance sustainable pest and disease management strategies.

Start January 2027 for two years, full-time, with a stipend of $93,000–$96,000 annually and health insurance provided through ORISE. U.S. citizenship required and doctoral-level credentials preferred.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree (or currently pursuing) in Life Health and Medical Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Botany, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ecology, Entomology, Epidemiology, Plant Sciences, Virology.

Responsibilities

• Propagate and maintain diverse plant species
• Conduct greenhouse inoculation experiments
• Evaluate symptom development and collect plant tissue samples
• Apply serological and molecular diagnostics to detect and quantify virus infection
• Investigate relationships among plant characteristics, virus infection, and western flower thrips ecology

Skills

Vector entomology

Plant pathology

Disease ecology

Epidemiology

Integrated pest mgmt

Insect rearing

Bioassays

Serological

Molecular diagnostics

R (stats)

Scientific writing

Education

Doctoral degree (or pursuing)

Tools

R

Job description

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) invites applications for a research opportunity in Salinas, California. The ARS unit focuses on biology and management of insect vectors and viruses of vegetables, with a goal to advance sustainable pest and disease management strategies.

Start January 2027 for two years, full-time, with a stipend of $93,000–$96,000 annually and health insurance provided through ORISE. U.S. citizenship required and doctoral-level credentials preferred.