Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Participation Program

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Participation Program is sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). This program offers opportunities for college students, recent graduates, and university faculty to participate in project-specific USDA-ARS research and developmental activities.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Participation Program Help provide scientific solutions to national and global agricultural challenges Nutrition, Food Safety & Quality | Animal Production & Protection | Crop Production & Protection Natural Resources & Sustainable Agricultural Systems The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Participation Program will serve as the next step in the educational and professional development of scientists and engineers interested in agricultural related research.

On this site you will find information about the opportunities available at ARS research facilities. Are you ready to jump-start your career with a ARS internship or fellowship in the ORISE Research Participation Program? Get started below!

Learn from and collaborate with USDA-ARS scientists and professionals in your field to address the nation’s current challenges and establish long-term relationships and connections Develop critical skills and contribute to mission-related research activities under the guidance of natural science and civilian mapping experts Receive financial support including a stipend and travel allowances for internships and fellowships Gain a competitive advantage for your future as you apply your education and talent in a variety of settings Because of the educational nature of these programs, participants must fall into one of the following categories: Students must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. pre-college, college or university pursuing a degree in a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM), and must maintain satisfactory progress in academic coursework.

Postgraduates must have received their degree (associate’s, bachelor’s, and/or master’s) in an appropriate STEM discipline within five years of the appointment start date, or must complete all requirements for such a degree prior to the desired start date.

Postdoctoral must have received their doctoral degree in an appropriate STEM discipline within five years of the appointment start date, or must complete all requirements for such a degree prior to the desired start date. Faculty must be full-time faculty from an accredited U.S. college or university. Selections are made by the USDA-ARS mentor after completion of an eligible application in Zintellect.

More information is available on the Information for Applicants page . Applications will be considered without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or covered veteran’s status. Stipend: Participants receive a monthly stipend to help defray living and other expenses during the appointment.

Stipend rates are determined by USDA-ARS and are based on the participant’s educational level. Some mentors may also award relocation, a travel allowance, and/or a health insurance stipend Travel: Depending on your project assignment, you may be eligible to receive reimbursement for travel and educational experiences which promote the educational goals of your appointment.

Relocation Allowance: A relocation reimbursement may be provided for e xpenses for participants who relocate more than fifty miles, one-way, to the assigned hosting site. You will be responsible for securing your own living space and determining your means of local transportation prior to arriving at the designated host site. Hosting facilities may provide assistance locating appropriate housing in the local area.

Health Insurance: A health insurance stipend is typically provided to cover medical, dental, and vision insurance . Learn more about the major topics our research covers and the programs focused on those topics. Meet the USDA program participants and hear about their educational research, their goals, and their experiences as members of the global ORISE Community!

Indrani Kakati Baruah’s research focused on finding solutions for disease resistance for cacao against pathogens at a molecular and genetic level. (Photo Credit: Indrani Kakati Baruah) Holly Bartholomew with her research team. From left to right: Dianiris Luciano-Rosario, Ph.

D. , Holly Bartholomew, Ph. D.

, Wayne M. Jurick II, Ph. D.

, Verneta L. Gaskins. (Photo Credit: Verneta L.

Gaskins) Brett Shelley, Ph. D. , gained his interest in the sciences at an early age, but credits part of his success to the great mentors he has had along the way.

(Photo Credit: Hannah Keller) Zachary Lamas, a Research Participation Program fellow with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), is researching ways to improve beekeeping management and the sustainment of honeybee colonies.

(Photo Credit: Zachary Lamas) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) fellow, Amanda Fanelli de Souza, earned first place at Ignite Off! 2023 for her research into alfalfa digestibility for dairy cows.

(Photo Credit: Amanda Fanelli de Souza, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA-ARS) Douglas Stuehler is looking at potential ways to curb the deadly Huanglongbing citrus disease, among other projects, as a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Participation Program fellow.

(Photo Credit: Douglas Stuehler) Using her passion for genetics, Jillian Abendroth is performing studies on barley to discover ways to produce it more efficiently. (Photo Credit: Erin Kilbane, USDA-ARS, Cereal Crops Research Unit in Madison, Wisconsin) Mihail Kantor began as a horticulturist in Romania, but after discovering the world of nematology realized that he had stumbled upon a new passion.

As an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow, Kantor used his skills in botany to discover a new species of nematodes. (Photo Credit: Mihail Kantor) Gipson works remotely for his position as a field application scientist with Meso Scale Discovery. Roni Gross in the Hull Lab at USDA-ARS Arid Land Agricultural Research Center (ALARC) in Maricopa, Arizona.

Photo Credit: Danni Leroy, USDA-ARS ALARC U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Services research participant Mariam Bakshi, Ph. D. , applied her immunology, biomedical parasitology and entomology knowledge to studying parasites in farm animals.

(Credit: Lindsay Porter/Texas A&M University) Christopher Stephens learned about avian influenza virus (AIV) as a participant in U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program. Iris Köhler, a postdoctoral researcher in the USDA-ARS Research Participation Program, spent two years studying the impact of projected carbon dioxide and temperature levels on genetically modified soybean yield.

Above, she rests after harvesting soybeans. In the USDA-ARS Research Participation Program, Dhondup Lhamo, a doctoral student in plant biology at the University of California, Berkeley, studied ways to enhance the properties of natural rubber from the North American guayule plant. The shrub is being investigated as a domestic alternative to petroleum-based synthetic rubber or costly rubber tree imports.

Jimmy Zumba, PhD, MBA, spent 18 months with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program (USDA ARS RPP) at the Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, investigating the application of Near Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy to the cotton fiber and textile industry. Sakol Julrat, Ph. D.

, a participant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program, applied his engineering background to the development of an accurate moisture sensing technique. He is pictured here studying dielectric permittivity measurement on biomass material. (Photo courtesy of ARS) Through the U.

S Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program, Sushim Kumar Gupta, Ph. D. , was able to utilize next-generation sequencing methods to control antibiotic resistance.

Poonam Sharma, Ph. D. , (right) confers with fellow participant, Sushim Gupta, Ph.

D. , (middle) and her mentor, research microbiologist, Jonathon Frye, Ph. D.

, (left). Sharma investigated antibiotic resistance mechanisms in food borne pathogens while a participant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program. Giulia Tasoniero, Ph.

D. , had the opportunity to apply her knowledge of food science while a participant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program. Her research on the characteristics of meat is intended to enhance the quality and processes of processed products.

Nathan Kemp's experiences as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) participant helped shape and enhance his talents as a researcher and scientist, inspiring him to seek full-time employment within the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, IL.

Christina Leyson learned the ins and outs of conducting high-quality research to improve animal and food health as a participant in U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program. Giseli Valentini, Ph. D.

, conducted research at the Soybean Genomics and Improvement Laboratory at the USDA-ARS facility in Beltsville, Maryland. During her fellowship, Kanipe developed many new skills and had the opportunity to publish her research in many prominent veterinary journals, including Veterinary Immunology, Veterinary Pathology and Veterinary Microbiology.

She recommends the program to others and emphasized the sense of fulfillment she received from her experience. It’s so much fun being a part of a collaborative group that encourages young scientists to pursue research interests and bridge the gaps between your expertise and your advisor’s expertise to work toward finding new areas of research. I enjoy the ability to learn new techniques that are different from my Ph.

D. and apply them to study tough questions in science. In my role, I’ve felt free to make mistakes, learn, explore, question and succeed.

I’ve found the experience an opportunity to grow as a scientist and a foundation on which to build my career. It’s also an incredibly unique opportunity to ‘test the waters’ on what type of research inspires, what skills you need to work on, and where you can see yourself and your career.