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USDA-ARS Agricultural Economist/Sociologist Postdoctoral Fellowship: Florida
Job Description
- Agency
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Location
- Fort Pierce, Florida
- Job Category
- Post Doctoral Appointments
- Salary
- Monthly Stipend TBD
- Last Date to Apply
- 08/04/2023
- Website
- https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/USDA-ARS-SE-2023-0264
- Description
- *Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis. ARS Office/Lab and Location: A postdoctoral research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), at the Horticultural Research Laboratory (USHRL) located in Fort Pierce, Florida. 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. The USDA’s Horticultural Research Laboratory (USHRL) located in Fort Pierce, Florida is internationally recognized for its vegetable, strawberry, and citrus research. It is in close proximity to one of the largest vegetable and strawberry production growing regions in the U.S. Extensive greenhouse, laboratory resources and scientific equipment are available at this facility, while the USHRLs Pico’s Farm provides nearly 20 acres of farm land for vegetable pathology research. Research Project: Areawide pest management and risk modelling are advanced strategies for pest and disease management in agriculture. Whiteflies and by association the viruses they transmit, are an excellent candidate for areawide management in Florida as they are widely distributed amongst many important vegetable crops. Significant progress has been made in understanding and modelling relevant biological and ecological characteristics of whitefly and viral populations which has allowed us to establish a base set of rules for an areawide pest management program for whitefly. Areawide pest management is the systematic reduction of a target pest(s) to predetermined levels using uniformly applied pest mitigation measures over geographical areas clearly defined by biologically-based criteria (e.g., pest colonization, dispersal potential), and is usually accomplished by a community approach, i.e., multiple growers acting in coordination. However, despite this detailed level of understanding, it is surprisingly not enough to inspire an immediate call-to-action for implementation of an areawide program in the grower community. We wish to determine what specific behavioral and/or economical barriers are preventing growers from implementing an areawide pest management program. We seek a candidate with a background in economics and/or sociology who is interested in solving agricultural problems. The qualified candidate should possess the analytical skills to design economic and/or sociologic experiments and we will train them to use their skills in an agricultural setting. The successful candidate will help to identify and quantify the economical and/or sociological barriers that prevent growers from implementing areawide pest management and from acting in their best interests. Results of the research will be used to propose a strategy to overcome the barriers with the intent that growers will adopt an areawide approach to whitefly management. Learning Objectives: As a result of this training the participant will improve their skills in economic and/or sociologic modelling and gain a deeper understanding of pest and disease management in commercial agriculture. Mentor(s): The mentors(s) for this opportunity is William Turechek (william.turechek@usda.gov) and Scott Adkins (scott.adkins@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s). Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2023. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors. Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years 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 participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation. 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.Southeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
- Qualifications
- The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Preferred Skills: The preferred candidate will have published articles (e.g., from their dissertation) demonstrating the desired skill set in economics, econometrics, and/or sociology.
- Contact Person
- ORISE.ARS.Southeast@orau.org
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