Microbiologist

About the role

This position is in the Foreign Animal Disease Research Unit (FADRU), NBAF in Manhattan, KS. The mission of FADRU is to conduct basic and applied research on foreign, high consequence diseases of livestock that have high socio-economic consequences and that could be introduced naturally, accidentally, or deliberately into the United States. These diseases include such as foot-and mouth disease, classical swine fever, and African swine fever.

Major duties: Maintains laboratory and computational SOPs, stage-gate QC criteria, and version-controlled, containerized workflows with senior oversight to enable reproducible analyses under high-containment operational constraints. Defines cross-project acceptance thresholds, harmonizes metadata standards, and ensures the auditable lineage of data, code, and results to support decision-making by research leadership. Serves in a training capacity advising scientists and program leaders on platform pairing and method selection that align with program priorities and regulatory expectations. Assists with designing analytical strategies, overseeing data curation at scale, interpreting viral genomics, host transcriptomics outputs to delineate virulence determinants, host-response signatures, and regulatory networks central to pathogenesis. Develops multi-omics integration workflows with a higher-graded specialist and/or the Research Leader that unify genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, microbiome layers, harmonizing ontologies and metadata to support cross-study comparability.

Qualifications: Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. In addition to meeting the basic education requirement listed in the Education section of the announcement, all applicants must meet the following minimum qualification requirements GS-09 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position, or its non-Federal equivalent that included experience preparing, processing, and evaluating biological samples; applying established molecular biology, microbiology, and virology techniques to support research objectives; and collecting, organizing, and interpreting experimental data. OR Education: Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related. Related degrees may include Microbiology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or Public Health. OR An appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. GS-11 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, or its non-Federal equivalent that included experience coordinating and independently executing advanced molecular biology and genomic research activities; preparing technical reports and scientific documentation; advising researchers on sequencing methodologies and analytical approaches; overseeing sample logistics and data curation efforts; and applying biosafety and biosecurity principles. OR Education: Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if related. Related degrees may include Microbiology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or Public Health. OR An appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. Physical Demands: - Laboratory work requires extended periods of walking and standing, recurring bending and stooping, especially while conducting detailed experiments and analyses. Work requires sustained attention to detail, with frequent stress of short deadlines for action. Working Environment: - Work is performed primarily in a laboratory under rigid Agency Safety Rules and Regulations. Risks involve working with or begin exposed to radioactive material, possible contagious diseases, chemicals, and possible burns from autoclaves and sterilizers, and possible injury working with and around laboratory equipment. The incumbent is required to wear protective clothing depending on the experiment and situation. At a minimum, this includes laboratory coat, safety glasses, and gloves. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Agricultural Research Service

Source: USAJOBS, read 11/15/2026. Apply on the source’s own site.