USDA-ARS Epidemiology Fellowship

*Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.

ARS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Research Service (ARS), within the Foreign Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit (FABADRU). This opportunity will be located at the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF) and Kansas State University campus in Manhattan, Kansas.

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: FABADRU uses multifaceted and interdisciplinary techniques to understand the interactions of insects, their hosts, and the environment. This project will focus on identifying and managing arthropod feeding on U.S. livestock. Under the guidance of a mentor, the fellow will be part of a USDA research project conducting and helping with knowledge-synthesis research focused on animal and population health, as well as other research and analytical projects focused on new world screwworm and mosquito transmitted pathogens such as Japanese encephalitis and Rift Valley fever.

Learning Objectives: The fellow will learn epidemiological techniques related to modeling parasitic and vector-borne diseases. Opportunities to develop skills in manuscript preparation, research presentation, and domestic and international collaboration with other USDA and non-USDA researchers to address complex questions in livestock disease transmitted by arthropods will be available. Additionally, opportunities to develop soft skills pertinent to a successful future career will be provided.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Dr. Dustin Swanson (Dustin.Swanson@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year 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 fellow will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $60,000 – $100,000 annually.

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.Plains@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master’s or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. biology, animal science, epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, computer science, or closely related discipline). Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received by start of appointment.

Preferred skills:

• Research skills, data analysis experience and scientific writing ability
• Experience with systematic or scoping reviews (or other structured knowledge-synthesis methods)
• Experience in R or Stata
• Knowledge of experimental and observational study designs and analyses
• Experience using linear and generalized linear regression models; specifically in mixed-effects modeling
• Experience synthesizing continuous and count outcomes using descriptive statistics and summarizing textual data in structured/tabular format
• Familiarity with agricultural production systems, veterinary health, zoonoses, or wildlife ecology
• Demonstrated attention to detail, accuracy, and reproducible documentation
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Clear written and verbal communication skills for both scientific and applied audiences