Opportunities
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 Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) at Colorado State University (CSU) invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Food Science. The 9-month tenure track appointment will begin on August 16, 2026. The successful candidate will lead an extramurally funded research program at the intersection of food science and human health, teach courses and mentor graduate students within the Food Science graduate specialization, and contribute to our undergraduate Food and Fermentation Science program.
Deadline: November 7, 2025
The Department of Biology at UNC Chapel Hill (https://bio.unc.edu/) is searching to hire a tenure track Assistant Professor to study critical questions in Plant Molecular Biology.
Deadline: November 17, 2025
They seek candidates with expertise in protein and metabolic engineering to advance plant-based discovery, synthesis, or capture of materials and resources of strategic importance. Areas of interest include the synthesis of critical bio-commodities, the development of phytomining platforms for elemental recovery or remeditation, and the engineering of plant systems to produce sustainable and functionalized materials for the emerging bioeconomy.
Deadline: November 21, 2025
The Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis is seeking applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Mycology, with a focus on plant pathogenic, symbiotic, or mycotoxigenic fungi and fungal-like organisms (e.g., oomycetes). They are looking for a highly motivated and creative scientist with a strong background in mycology and/or the biology of fungi and fungal-like organisms that interact with plants.
Deadline: December 1, 2025
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 ICTAS Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program supports early career undergraduates involved in mentored research at Virginia Tech. The goal of the program is to enable students to extend their current research projects and experience a step further with independent funding, so that they can devote additional time to their project, under the supervision of their chosen mentor.
Deadline: November 10, 2025
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
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.