Description
Position Overview
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii, is seeking a highly motivated and qualified candidate for a Postdoctoral Research Associate with a broad focus in the agriculture and food related sciences.
This position will contribute to supporting sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in Hawaii and the Pacific Basin. Hawaii’s agricultural industry experiences unique constraints due to its geographic location (~2,500 miles from the U.S. mainland), including high energy and labor costs, transportation/export regulations, and elevated pest and disease pressure associated with tropical climates. Within the Tropical Crop Commodity Protection and Research Unit, our mission is to develop science-based technologies and strategies to enhance open market access and improve the quality and sustainability of crops produced in the region.
Project Focus
The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be assigned to a multidisciplinary project evaluating and optimizing the production of Hawaii breadfruit flour through an integrated approach that considers processing efficiency, product quality, and biological/nutritional attributes. This work contributes to a long-term vision of increasing local food processing capacity to improve storage, distribution, and accessibility of locally produced foods, helping mitigate food insecurity across island communities.
Key Responsibilities
The selected candidate will lead and support research activities that may include:
1. Designing and conducting experiments related to food processing and quality
2. Quantifying processing effects on product properties, such as nutritional quality, shelf-stability relevant metrics, and sensory quality
3. Establishing drying kinetics of fresh and frozen breadfruit under combinations of pretreatments and drying conditions
4. Conducting laboratory-based analyses and maintaining detailed research documentation and protocols
5. Performing statistical analyses and data visualization using reproducible workflows
6. Writing manuscripts and disseminating results through peer-reviewed publications and stakeholder networks.
Research Environment & Collaborative Opportunities
The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be embedded within a collaborative team spanning biological sciences, applied agriculture, and technology development at PBARC. The project is led by an Agricultural Engineering laboratory with expertise in spectroscopy, imaging, and machine learning for non-destructive detection, and there may be opportunities to contribute to related projects including remote sensing and field-based monitoring, machine vision applications for pest management, and x-ray irradiation/imaging for quarantine and inspection technologies.
How to Apply/ Contact
To apply or for questions regarding the position, please contact:
Dr. Peishih Liang
Peishih.liang@usda.gov
Requirements
Required Qualifications
- U.S. citizenship
- Ph.D. in applied science disciplines (Agricultural/Biological Engineering, Food Science, and related fields)
- Demonstrated biological research competence, including ability to work with biological samples and interpret biological outcomes
- Strong quantitative/data skills, including experience with experimental design, statistical analysis and interpretation, and scientific data management
- Demonstrated ability to publish scientific results (peer-reviewed publications or manuscripts in preparation)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with food processing research (drying, pretreatments, milling/flour systems)
- Experience with food chemistry, nutritional analysis, or quality evaluation
- Ability to collaborate across disciplines and support field-to-lab integrated research workflows
