Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

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:

At the GS-6

Qualifying experience for the GS-6 level includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-5 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 a plant or insect-based research project; rearing insect colonies or identifying insects to family level; performing basic statistical analyses of data; and compiling records of experimental data.

OR

Education: One full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees include: Biological sciences, Entomology, Botany, Pest Management or Ecology provided they place an emphasis on insect sciences.

OR

An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education directly related to the work of the position as stated above.

At the GS-7

Qualifying experience for the GS-7 level includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-6 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 a plant or insect-based research project which includes evaluating biological samples from insects; identifying insects to family and species level; performing statistical analyses of data including coding in R or SAS; recording methodology in detail for future publications; and compiling and analyzing records of experimental data in preparation for presentations and manuscripts.

OR

Education: One full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees include: Biological sciences, Entomology, Botany, Pest Management or Ecology provided they place an emphasis on insect sciences.

OR

An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education directly related to the work of the position as stated 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.