Summary
This position is located with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF), Zoonotic and Emerging Disease Research Unit Manhattan, Kansas. Research scientists have open-ended promotion potential. The grade level is limited only by the individual's demonstrated ability to perform research of recognized importance to science and technology. *Final grade level may be determined by a peer review panel.
Duties
- Identify, propose, and perform independent and collaborative research to achieve the research objectives.
- Provide input into the scheduling and conducting of inspections and/or surveys of various biosafety levels (BSL-2, BSL-3, BSL-3+, BSL-3Ag, BSL4 and BSL4Ag containment) laboratory and support service areas of NBAF.
- Provide unique leadership and research skills to contribute to the identification, description, and characterization of the effects of zoonotic pathogens in livestock on the host and the hosts’ immune response to the pathogens.
- Organize research, establish research priorities, lead in planning research projects, supervise execution of research, evaluate and review research, lead discussions on the interpretation of results, and report and publish research progress.
- Provide unique leadership and research skills to contribute to the identification, description, and characterization of the effects of zoonotic and emerging diseases.
- Serve as a scientist working on the National Program 103 animal health projects.
Education
Basic Education Requirements - Microbiology Series 0403 (For All Grades) Degree: microbiology or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent. Note: Transcripts must be submitted at the time of application as proof of meeting the education requirement. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Note: Transcripts must be submitted at the time of application as proof of meeting the education requirement. Graduate Education: Microbiology or specific areas of study such as bacteriology, virology, mycology, algology, protozoology, parasitology, immunology, serology, microbial genetics, or soil microbiology; or specific applied fields of microbiology such as clinical and public health microbiology, food technology, production processes, industrial fermentation, pollution, etc. Graduate study in related fields such as experimental pathology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, biochemistry, animal or plant physiology, genetics, plant pathology, and insect disease control, may also be pertinent, provided it has direct application to microbiological work. Evaluation of Education: Microbiology is a broad field of science encompassing a number of scientific disciplines or areas of science, the fields in which this science is applied, and related fields where the work is concerned with or involves microbiology. The scientific disciplines or areas of this science include bacteriology, immunology, serology, algology, mycology, parasitology, protozoology, rickettsiology, tissue culture, virology, and similar disciplines or areas of science. The applied fields include environmental, food, dairy, soil, industrial, public health, clinical, and agricultural microbiology, and similar areas in which microbiology is applied. Related fields include taxonomy and systematics, plant, animal, or human physiology or pathology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, ecology, and similar areas of science where the work is directly related or applies to microbiology. Evaluation of Experience: For the GS-11 and higher grade levels of such specialized positions, the experience must have been sufficiently specialized to insure adequate familiarity with the area of specialization or applied field of microbiology, or have direct application in the area for which the applicant is being considered. Basic Education Requirements - Veterinary Medical Science Series 0701 (For All Grades) Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree i.e., Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD), obtained at a school or college of veterinary medical accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA). The AVMA web site, http://www.avma.org, has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools. Note: Transcripts must be submitted at the time of application. OR Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education (Refer to AVMA web site, http://www.avma.org for information about schools in this category) must meet one of the requirements: Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG); Possession of a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice veterinary medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States that includes successful completion of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or its predecessors, the National Board Examination (NBE) and the Clinical Competency Test (CCT); Proof that the education obtained in a foreign veterinary medical program is equivalent to that gained in a veterinary medical program that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. Under this provision, equivalency is established only if an AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school or college accepts the graduate's final transcript from the foreign veterinary medical school at full value for placement into an advanced degree, postgraduate educational program, or training program (e.g. residency or graduate program). Graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must also provide proof of proficiency in the English language by successfully completing one of the nationally and internationally recognized examinations that incorporate assessments of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Examples of examinations that assess mastery of the English language are shown below: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum scores for the TOEFL are 560 for the paper-based version; 220 for the computer-based version; or overall score of 83 for the internet-based version (including 26 or higher in speaking, 26 or higher in listening, and 17 or higher in writing). For the computer-based and paper-based test versions, applicants must also complete the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and the Test of Written English (TWE). Minimum required scores are 55 for the TSE and 5.5 for the TWE; Academic tests (listening, writing, and speaking) offered by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 7.0, with at least 7.0 in speaking, 6.5 in listening, and 6.0 in writing; OR Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 70, with at least 60 in speaking, 60 in listening, and 50 in writing. Note: Transcripts must be submitted at the time of application.