USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Agronomy/Plant Physiology

About the Role

A research opportunity is available with the Crop Production Systems Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), located in Stoneville, Mississippi. This research is a component of ARS National Programs 305 (Crop Production) and 304 (Crop Protection & Quarantine).

Research Project

Throughout the course of this project, you will learn about project management by contributing to research evaluating herbicide efficacy and screening for herbicide resistance in established and newly emerging problematic weed species in the Mississippi Delta region. You will also learn to identify key differences in physiology, growth characteristics, photosynthetic capacities, adaptability, competitiveness, and responses to stress and other fitness criteria of wild-type versus herbicide-resistant plant biotypes. You will contribute to studies examining how environmental conditions, cropping systems, and management practices influence weed emergence, competitiveness, and long-term persistence.

The project involves collecting, managing, and analyzing data related to weed control, herbicide performance, and whole-plant physiological processes of herbicide-resistant and susceptible populations under controlled environmental and field conditions. These insights are important for predicting the ecological success of resistant populations and developing more sustainable, integrated weed management strategies.

This project will also involve close collaboration with USDA-ARS scientists specializing in plant physiology, molecular biology, genomics, and herbicide resistance to advance understanding of resistance mechanisms and support the development of novel weed management solutions for problematic weeds in Mississippi cropping systems. Through participation in this research project, you will gain experience operating specialized equipment such as spray chambers and LI-COR gas-exchange systems, as well as opportunities for managing field, growth-chamber, and greenhouse studies to investigate weed control in cropping systems.

Learning Objectives

Under the guidance of a mentor, you will:

• Gain hands-on research experience in agronomy/weed science and herbicide resistance screening across multiple species
• Learn to operate specialized equipment such as a research track sprayer, leaf area meter, root scanner, and LI-COR photosynthesis systems
• Develop strong competencies in collecting, processing, and analyzing plant samples to characterize herbicide resistance mechanisms
• Build robust data analysis skills and enhance scientific writing and publishing capabilities

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (Plant Sciences/Agronomy/Crop Science/Weed Science/Plant Physiology/Plant Biology). Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received by the appointment start date.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in greenhouse, field, or growth chamber research
• Knowledge of crop production systems of major crops/weeds
• Background in plant/weed biology, herbicide resistance research, and field/controlled environment experimentation
• Experience with physiological measurement tools and spray chambers (e.g., LI-COR gas exchange systems, chlorophyll fluorometers, research track sprayers)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong statistical skills (R, SAS, etc.)
• Record of peer-reviewed publications preferred

Pay

$65,000.00 Yearly

Schedule

The appointment is full time. The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of ARS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Mentor: Krishna Reddy (krishna.reddy@usda.gov)

Application Deadline: 11/6/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone. Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.

Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only

Degree: Doctoral Degree in Life Health and Medical Sciences (Agricultural Sciences, Agriculture, Agronomy and Crop Science, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Genetics including Genome Sciences, Plant Sciences)