USDA-ARS Food Safety Data Science Fellowship

Organization U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code USDA-ARS-PA-2026-0182

How To Apply To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY. A Complete Application Consists Of

• An application
• Transcript(s) – For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• Two educational or professional recommendations

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation. Connect with ORISE...on the GO! Download the new ORISE GO mobile app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to help you stay engaged, connected, and informed during your ORISE experience and beyond!”

Application Deadline 6/19/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• *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), The Roman L. Hruska Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), located in Clay Center, Nebraska, however, we will additionally consider fully remote candidates. 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 Roman L. Hruska Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) seeks to solve high priority problems for the meat and poultry industries. USMARC is recognized around the world for the comprehensive research and industry solutions produced over the last six decades and that legacy continues to this day. The Meat Safety and Quality Research Unit (MSQRU) is tasked with identifying solutions to reduce foodborne illnesses attributed to meat and poultry.

Research Project: This educational opportunity focuses on understanding and evaluating methods for Salmonella quantification and virulence assays at the speed of commerce under real-world conditions. The participant will collaborate with a research team to explore best practices in experimental design, hypothesis testing, and data analysis for assessing Salmonella detection methodologies.

Learning Objectives: The participant will learn about stakeholder-focused research, data science, scientific communication, food safety applications, real-world data, and collaborative/transdisciplinary/team research. Additionally, there will be opportunities for the participant to expand their data science skills.

Further learning opportunities could include high performance computing, software development, geospatial or time series modeling, and mathematical modeling, or other areas of interest.

This opportunity represents a unique window into the food safety regulatory landscape and how research interfaces with regulation to improve public health. This opportunity will be especially valuable to those seeking future employment to apply data science in the food safety or biotechnology industries or government, and those who wish to be at the interface between research and application.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Tatum Katz (tatum.katz@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, 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. The anticipated stipe