USDA-ARS Fellowship to Control Food-borne Fungal Toxins in Plant-based Alternative Protein

How to apply: In order to apply to any posting, you will need to make a profile account in Zintellect at https://www.zintellect.com/. Once your profile is made, you will be able to apply to postings.

A complete application consists of:

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

4/13/2023 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

ARS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), within the Food and Feed Safety Research Unit at the Southern Regional Research Center located in New Orleans.

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 mission of the Food and Feed safety Research Unit is to safeguard U.S. agricultural commodities (e.g., corn, cottonseed, peanut, and tree nuts) from aflatoxin contamination using a multidisciplinary approach. Recent interest in the development of alternative plant-based protein-rich ingredients from plants, insects, fungi and through tissue culture to replace conventional animal-based sources has necessitated screening them for food safety. The participant in this project will assist the ARS scientist to analyze alternative proteins from fresh, stored, or powdered plant proteins from various plants (e.g., pulses or legumes, corn, soy, lentils, hempseed and other grain crops) for stability of proteins, contamination with fungal or other microbial toxins. 

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2023.  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.

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 ORISE.ARS.Southeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing the degree with completion by June 30, 2023. Degree must have been received within the past 4 months.

Preferred Skills:

USDA-ARS-SE-2023-0059