USDA-ARS Computational Plant Biology Fellowship

How To Apply

To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

• Application form
• Transcript(s) – an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted.  for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• Two educational or professional recommendations

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

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA-ARS-MWA-

3/27/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), located in Ames, Iowa. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the USDA’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.

Many crop species have relatives that have also been domesticated. This project will use gene families, synteny relationships, genetic association results, and published gene functional information to catalog and evaluate the genes involved in domestication in crops within the legume plant family. The research has applied value in identifying genes that may modify important domestication‑related traits across many species, while also addressing basic questions about selection patterns within wild populations.

The participant will learn and apply methods in computational biology, genetics, and artificial intelligence, including statistical marker–trait association methods, syntenic relationship determination, pan‑genome relationship representation, gene family inference, and evolutionary event inference from large collections of gene families. The participant will also have the opportunity to read, evaluate, and participate in the writing of scientific manuscripts.

Steven Cannon (Steven.

Cannon). Contact the mentor for questions about the research.

March 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of ARS and contingent on the availability of funds.

Full time.

The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Anticipated stipend range: $5,185 – $6,273 monthly.

U.S. citizens only.

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.

Please visit our Program Website. If you have additional questions about the application process, email ORISE.ARS.Midwest and include the reference code for this opportunity.

• Currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.
• Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received near the start of the appointment.

• Graduate training in genetics and biology or computer science.
• Coursework in statistics and computer science.
• Experience with computer scripting languages and Unix command‑line tools.
• Computer programming and computational biology experience.
• Training or experience in plant biology.

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only.
• Degree:
  Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
• Disciplines:
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences – Artificial Intelligence (including Robotics, Computer Vision, Human Language Processing, and Machine Learning)
  • Scientific Computing and Informatics
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
• Veteran Status:
  Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 months.

Janeen