Responsibilities Analyzes microbial or plant genetic material (DNA, RNA) to understand responses of the microbial communities, plants, and plant pathogens to environmental stress and management practices. Conducts bioinformatics analyses with strategic selection of bioinformatics software and tools and meaningful interpretation and compilations of analytical results. Uses genomic tools, databases, and programming and script languages such as Python, R, Perl, Java, and SQL in support of assigned genomic research projects. Applies molecular wet-lab techniques, current sequencing technologies and quality control procedures to generate reproducible and accurate genomic data. Travel Required Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position. Supervisory status No Promotion Potential 11 Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a US Citizen or US National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/ 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. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Biologist, all grade levels. A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 or GS-11 level: 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 and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in research related to microbial ecology, using computational approaches to analyze biological data; preparing and maintaining detailed records of procedures, and preparing methods and visualizations for publication and presentations. OR Education: Masters or equivalent graduate degree if related, related degrees may include Plant Pathology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Statistics or closely related field. OR Combination of Graduate Education and Professional Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. 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. 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 and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in research related to microbial ecology; developing and applying new techniques related to microbial ecology; using computational approaches to analyze biological data; preparing and maintaining detailed records of procedures; and demonstrated ability to write methods and results, and develop visualizations for scientific publications and presentations. OR Education: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; if directly related. Related degrees may include Plant Pathology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Statistics or closely related field. OR Combination of Graduate Education and Professional Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience 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. Education Please see above for education qualification requirement information.
