The position is based at the CPHST – Beltsville Laboratory in MD. The USDA-APHIS-PPQ CPHST Beltsville Laboratory mission is to provide federal confirmatory diagnostics for regulatory plant pests/pathogens, develop and validate advanced molecular and serological detection methods for plant pests that threaten U.S. agriculture; evaluate applicability of new, state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies in support of the agency efforts.
The Department of Plant Pathology at NCSU is composed of nearly 40 faculty that direct a diverse portfolio of programs with strengths in academics, research, and extension. Collectively, these strengths not only serve our clientele and our science, but also provide a rich environment for graduate education and training that can be tailored to the specific career interests of students and staff.
The incumbent will work under the general supervision of a Team/Project Leader to support the APHIS PPQ CPHST Beltsville Lab projects on developing and validation of molecular and biochemical methods for diagnostic of regulatory plant pests/pathogens. As directed, the incumbent will conduct activities on modification, optimization and validation of molecular assays, PCR and real-time PCR, for screening and confirmatory identification Xanthomonas spp. that cause citrus bacterial canker, Oomycetes (Phytophthora), or other plant pathogens. When necessary the incumbent will support diagnostic testing for P. ramorum, citrus canker and/or plum pox virus. The incumbent will maintain, culture, and document morphological (microscopy) and molecular (sequencing) characters of Phytophthora species or other plant pathogens. The incumbent will record details and results of experiments in an official laboratory notebook; enter data into computer programs; write data summary reports and research publications drafts. Work duties will also include any combination of the following general laboratory maintenance tasks: cleaning and maintaining glassware; preparing media and reagents; preparing agarose gels; restocking and maintaining supplies; autoclaving; operating and maintaining specialized equipment; maintaining greenhouse plants.
The position is based at the CPHST Beltsville Laboratory in Beltsville, MD. US citizenship, permanent residency or US employment authorization card (EAD) is required.
Find more information here: https://jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/127275.
