Biological Scientist

Summary

You will serve as a biological scientist within the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL).The key functions of the FADDL are the diagnosis of animal diseases foreign to the United States, the development and validation of diagnostic tests and reagents for foreign animal disease diagnosis, training and proficiency testing of state diagnostic laboratory personnel in diagnostic assays for exotic livestock diseases, generating and providing standards to be used in diagnostic assays.

Duties

• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Assists with the design, execution, interpretation and reporting of experiments and experimental data associated with development and validation of new or modified diagnostic assays.
• Performs assays for the detection of antigens, nucleic acids and antibodies indicating the presence of a foreign animal disease.
• Operates sophisticated laboratory equipment including thermocyclers, DNA sequencers, ultracentrifuges, flow cytometers, robotics equipment, and electrophoresis apparatus.
• Maintains a current knowledge of the literature with particular focus on foreign and emerging animal diseases of livestock, including diagnostic testing, reagent production vaccine production, etc.
• Maintains accurate records of select agent inventories.
• Coordinates receipt and shipping of biological materials to support FADDL mission.
• Maintains accurate records regarding developmental, testing, and quality control procedures performed.
• Conducts Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Inventory activities.
• Assists in the development of new technologies to support the FADDL mission.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of education and experience: post high school education with courses equivalent to a major, which is defined as 24 semester/36 quarter hours, in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry or related disciplines appropriate to the position, PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work. The quality of the combination must demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above. FOR THE GS-11 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Designing, optimizing, or validating diagnostic assays, including interpreting experimental data and preparing technical reports. Performing laboratory diagnostics using microbiological methods, virus isolation techniques, and molecular biology procedures such as PCR, RT-PCR, sequencing, or other nucleic acid-based tests. Maintaining precise laboratory records, including select agent inventory tracking, quality control documentation, and experimental logs. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in the fields of Microbiology, Microbiology and Genetics, Veterinary Microbiology Immunology, Molecular Biology, Virology Animal Science, or closely related. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. You are qualifying for the position based on education. You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-11 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.