Chemist

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time-in-grade restrictions apply for all candidates considered under merit promotion procedures and must be met by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this vacancy announcement. Basic Requirements: A. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics. or B. Combination of education and experience: course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement above, applicants must also meet the following specialized experience: GS-09: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in an experiment or research project in a laboratory setting; operating laboratory equipment; performing laboratory analysis of agricultural samples. OR Education: Successful completion of two full years of graduate level education or a master’s degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Organic Chemistry. OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. GS-11: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience performing chemistry techniques in a laboratory setting; analyzing or preparing agricultural samples; and maintaining specialized laboratory equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Organic Chemistry. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above. 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.
This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Tropical Crops and Germplasm Research Unit in Mayaguez, PR. In this position, you will actively participate in one or more phases of the research process related to tree fruit and crops by performing a variety of chemical analysis techniques in a laboratory environment.