Usda-Ars Postdoctoral Fellowship In Soil Ecology / Mycotoxins

*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), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), within the Pest Management and Biocontrol Unit of the Arid Land Agricultural Research Center located in Tucson, Arizona. 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: The overall research goal of the lab is to develop, improve, optimize, and disseminate mycotoxin mitigation technologies to growers. This is accomplished through a combination of laboratory and field studies aimed at understanding how different biotic and abiotic factors influence mycotoxin contamination risk and biological control of mycotoxigenic fungi. The overall objective of the current study is to elucidate the influence of soil biotic and abiotic properties on the size and composition of soil-borne mycotoxigenic fungal populations and subsequent contamination of corn. The specific objectives are to: Determine the extent to which soil properties and environmental factors explain intra- and inter-regional variation in mycotoxigenic fungal populations and mycotoxin contamination severity, and; Characterize soil microbial communities that may contribute to differences in soil populations of mycotoxigenic fungi and subsequent contamination of corn. Learning Objectives: Through this fellowship, the successful applicant will gain valuable hands-on experience and develop expertise in soil ecology and metagenomics. Specifically, the participant will have the opportunity to learn and enhance skills in: Experimental design; DNA-based quantification of mycotoxigenic fungi; Characterization of soil microbiomes utilizing culture-based and metabarcoding approaches; Bioinformatics and statistical analysis; Scientific writing and communication. In addition, the participant will gain experience by collaborating with an interdisciplinary team to translate research results into practical tools for growers to predict risk of mycotoxin contamination and implement evidence-based mitigation strategies.