Biologist

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 Education Requirement: A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Related disciplines include animal science, animal health and disease, animal husbandry, microbiology, or genetics. OR B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement above, applicants must also meet the following specialized experience: GS-07: 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-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 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 collecting or analyzing samples related to scientific poultry or livestock research; keeping detailed record of scientific data; and operating laboratory equipment or instruments. OR Education: Successful completion of one (1) full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s degree. Related degrees may include Biological Science, Animal Science, Poultry Science, Microbiology, or Chemistry. OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Completion of a bachelor’s degree, with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.). Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, as described above. S.A.A. is based on (1) A grade point average of B (a GPA of 3.0 or higher) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate study; OR (2) A grade point average of B (a GPA of 3.5 or higher) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; OR (3) Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; OR (4) Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. OR A combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education as described above. 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 collecting or analyzing samples related to scientific poultry or livestock research; operating laboratory equipment or instruments that aid in scientific animal research; and performing molecular techniques in a laboratory environment. OR Education: Successful completion of two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Biological Science, Animal Science, Poultry Science, Microbiology, or Chemistry. OR A combination of graduate level 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, Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD. In this position, you will actively participate in one or more phases of the research process related to poultry experiments by performing a variety of technical duties in a laboratory or field environment.