ARS postdoctoral position in Beltsville, MD

 

Cost-effective mitigation measures to minimize the risk of foodborne contamination at the pre-harvest stage need evaluation of the relative efficiency of best management practices and mitigation scenarios. The water sampling must be designed for representative sampling at the farm scale. The complexity of the above issues calls for a cross-cutting approach to develop cost-effective on-farm mitigation strategies, coupled with modeling approaches and advanced data collection technology. 

          Hydrologic models remain the major tools to simulate the effect of fate and transport of pathogen and indicator organisms for water quality. APEX (Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender) was developed by USDA-ARS for small-scale use. However, APEX does not currently have the microbial fate and transport component. The proof-of-concept work has been done in the USDA-REE-ARS-NEA-BARC-EMFSL. The expected result is a farm-scale model incorporating realistic weather and management scenarios to predict microbial quality for irrigation water sources. Such a model does not currently exist and will be in demand. 

The GS-11 position will be stationed at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, MD, for a 2-year term, with a possibility of extending to 4 years with successful performance. The researcher will work with Dr. Yakov Pachepsky and other scientists at ARS as well as with ARS and university collaborators. This position requires US citizenship or permanent residency (Green Card) and a Ph.D. degree in hydrology, soil and crop sciences, applied mathematics, computer science, or other related fields. The ability to understand, write and troubleshoot codes written in FORTRAN77 or other scientific programming language is a must. Willingness to perform the metaanalysis research is required. The successful candidate will demonstrate good writing and presentation skills.

To apply, please contact Yakov Pachepsky (yakov.pachepsky@usda.gov). In your correspondence, please include a full CV, a one-page cover letter outlining your research interests related to the project described above and prior experience in related fields, and the contact information for three references. Minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.