TPSC has gathered a resource of career opportunities for recent graduates and students nearing their defense date, as well as award opportunities and upcoming conferences.

The Research Technician will be responsible for assisting in all small plot research activities as a part of North America Integrated Field Sciences (NA IFS) team at Corteva Agriscience Chesapeake Farms Research Center.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research is seeking applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work closely with Drs. Joseph Burke and Katie Lewis, along with other faculty at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and industry collaborators on an industry-funded project to determine the impact of variety × irrigation timing × fertilizer application timing on cotton growth, development, and yield in the semi-arid Texas High Plains. 

The Forest Biotechnology Group is seeking three highly motivated postdoctoral researchers to work on projects involving genome editing and genetic improvement of forest trees in the Forest Biotechnology Group at NC State. The positions offer the opportunity to develop and apply cutting-edge approaches in forest biotechnology in a collaborative research environment.

This two-year rotational program offers three eight-month assignments across research, development, technical operations, sustainability, digital innovation, and business development. The program includes structured mentorship, executive coaching, and visibility with senior BASF leaders. Ideal candidates are PhD students or recent graduates (May 2025–July 2026) in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, polymer science, biosciences, or related fields, or early postdocs.

The Simons Foundation’s Life Sciences division invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships to support candidates who intend to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in plant biology. 

Deadline: December 4, 2025

COVES is a 12-week summer fellowship program (May-August) operated by the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (the Academy) and open to STEM graduate students.

Deadline: December 11, 2025

The Fralin Undergraduate Research Fellowship program is a competitive award program that is open to all Virginia Tech undergraduates with a goal of increasing access to research for all students. This program is open to students from any discipline, who have already identified a faculty research mentor.

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Observational science (including field and laboratory-based research) is critical to improving understanding of the multitude of processes in the Earth's atmosphere. To facilitate this science, AGS provides access to a variety of specialized instrumentation and facilities that are supported through the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) program. The intent of the FIRP solicitation is to invite proposals from the atmospheric and related science community to use the instrumentation and facilities that are sponsored by the FARE program. 

The Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) supports genome-scale research that addresses challenging questions of biological, societal and economic importance.

Two funding tracks are currently available:

  • RESEARCH-PGR TRACK: Genome-scale plant research to address fundamental questions in biology, including processes of economic and/or societal importance. 

  • TRTech-PGR TRACK: Tools, resources, and technology breakthroughs that further enable functional plant genomics. 

The Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) Core Programs Track supports research to understand why organisms are structured the way they are and function as they do. The research should produce a novel, holistic understanding of how biological systems function and interact across different scales of organization, e.g., from molecules to cells, tissues to organisms, species to ecosystems and the entire Earth.

There is an urgent need for increased plant transformation capacity in the USA. The programs listed in this DCL welcome proposals for exploring novel transformation technology and substantially improving current transformation methodologies. Proposals are accepted anytime through USDA NSF portals.

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) encourages the submission of proposals that advance biological research using Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) or AI/ML methods using biological data and systems.

The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. The conference will take place on April 13-15, 2026 in Richmond, VA. The deadline to submit an abstract is December 5, 2025.

The Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food Systems GRS provides a unique forum for young doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to present their work, discuss new methods, cutting edge ideas, and pre-published data, as well as to build collaborative relationships with their peers. Gordon Research Seminars are 2-day meetings which take place on the Saturday and Sunday just prior to the start of the associated GRC. Applications for this meeting must be submitted by May 30, 2026. Any applicants who wish to be considered for an oral presentation should submit their application by March 22, 2026.