USDA-ARS Post-baccalaureate Internship in Ruminant Diseases and Immunology
ARS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is available within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the National Animal Disease Center (NADC) located in Ames, Iowa.
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 NADC is the premiere research institute within the USDA for studying infectious disease and foodborne organisms. The selected applicant will participate alongside a team of microbiologists, immunologists, bioinformaticians, and veterinarians who are investigating host-microbe interactions with the ultimate goal to improve animal health. This post-baccalaureate training opportunity is available to learn animal experimental design and preparation, isolation of tissue samples for cell isolation, cell line propagation and processing through flow cytometry and ELISA assays.
Learning Objectives: The trainee will have the opportunity to learn eukaryotic cell isolation techniques, isolation of nucleic acid, and evaluation with real-time PCR. The trainee will have the opportunity to learn data analysis techniques as well.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Randy Sacco (randy.sacco@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 1, 2022. 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 USDA-ARS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, Animal Science), or be currently pursuing a master's degree in one of the relevant fields.
Preferred Skills:
- Exposure to laboratory techniques and assays with a preference for cell-culture or cell isolation
- Additional knowledge of immunological methods, such as ELISA, host animal gene expression, and nucleic acid isolation approaches
- Demonstrated skills and research ability investigating microbial-host interactions
- Experience with various gene databases, and statistics or graphics in R
- Enthusiastic and self-motivated with good communication skills and a strong work ethic
- Good interpersonal and public speaking skills