Postdoctoral Research Associate I

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• Travel and live in or near Clay Center, NE from April to October of each of the next two years.
• Plan and coordinate project with Dr. Jim Bono and personnel at the USDA ARS US Meat Animal Research Center during the two years of the project.
• Conduct environmental (soil, water, and air samples), cattle, and wildlife sampling for Escherichia coli O157:H7 at the cattle feedlot and fields up to a mile around the Research Center.
• Phenotype characterize, conduct whole genome sequencing, and comparative genomics on all Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolates recovered during the study.
• Record all weather data from six different weather stations positioned around the Research Center facility during the two years of the study.
• Conduct data analysis of all data collected during the study, including working with Dr. Erika Austhof to develop various transmission models based on sampling and weather data from the study.
• Verify transmission models using historical data collected in Yuma, AZ.
• Write progress reports for the Center of Produce Safety during the two years of the study.
• Present project, update data results, and final results at the Center for Produce Safety Symposia during the two years of the project.
• Write final publications of all the data from the study, and present data at various scientific conferences.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to work outdoors in produce fields, agricultural fields, and/or cattle feedlot in summertime for up to eight hours.
• Ability to work setting up sampling sites that might include fencing, posts, mechanical parts, and/or vehicles around different agricultural fields.
• General working knowledge of the produce industry particularly leafy greens industry.

• Ph.D. in microbiology, food safety, biology, pathobiology or related scientific discipline.
• Experience working with different BSL-2 infectious agents particularly foodborne pathogens, and a strong understanding of biosafety.
  
  

• 4 years of experience working with BSL-2 foodborne pathogens including at least one of the following: Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter, or Listeria.
• 2 years of experience conducting outdoor environmental sampling around produce fields or other agricultural fields for foodborne pathogens including soil, water, air, wildlife, or other samples.
• 2 years of experience working with the produce industry on different food safety research studies
• Experience working on Center for Produce Safety funded research project and the requirements associated with these type of projects.