Sustainable Agriculture Physical Scientist, IS-1301-13
OPEN DATE: June 30, 2026
CLOSING DATE: July 31, 2026
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Edgewater, Maryland
Position sensitivity and risk:
Non-sensitive (NS)/High Risk
DUTY LOCATION: Edgewater, Maryland
Position sensitivity and risk:
Non-sensitive (NS)/High Risk
Open to all qualified applicants
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
- Complete a Probationary Period.
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
- The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
- Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Research (OUSSR), Smithsonian Institution is a research unit of the Smithsonian Institution dedicated to ecological research and education.
SERC’s 2,650-acre campus serves as a living laboratory for long-term ecosystem research across forests, farmland, wetlands, shorelines, and estuaries. Located within a rural landscape yet adjacent to the Baltimore–Washington–Annapolis urban corridor on the Chesapeake Bay, SERC occupies a central position within the Bay’s watershed. Our community of approximately 150 staff—including principal investigators, educators, technicians, postdocs, and student researchers—collaborates annually with interns, more than 500 volunteers, and 25,000 public visitors.
SERC’s 2,650-acre campus serves as a living laboratory for long-term ecosystem research across forests, farmland, wetlands, shorelines, and estuaries. Located within a rural landscape yet adjacent to the Baltimore–Washington–Annapolis urban corridor on the Chesapeake Bay, SERC occupies a central position within the Bay’s watershed. Our community of approximately 150 staff—including principal investigators, educators, technicians, postdocs, and student researchers—collaborates annually with interns, more than 500 volunteers, and 25,000 public visitors.
SERC’s research and education programs address major environmental challenges identified in the Smithsonian’s Life on a Sustainable Planet initiative. Our work spans ecological scales, leverages long-term studies, and delivers benefits for ecosystems and society. We collaborate widely and prioritize public engagement through participatory science, education, and communication
This position reports to the Associate Director for Research, serves as a Principal Investigator, and leads an independent research program at SERC. The ideal candidate will collaborate effectively with a diverse community of staff, students, volunteers, visitors, and partners to develop a high-impact research program.
This position reports to the Associate Director for Research, serves as a Principal Investigator, and leads an independent research program at SERC. The ideal candidate will collaborate effectively with a diverse community of staff, students, volunteers, visitors, and partners to develop a high-impact research program.
The selected applicant will have access to extensive field, laboratory, and data resources at SERC, with opportunities to expand these assets, including a potential agrivoltaic research facility. Existing resources include over five decades of watershed research with instrumented experimental watersheds, a watershed-scale stream restoration project, and large biodiversity–ecosystem function agroforestry experiments (BiodiversiTREE and Functional Forests). Additional assets include a NEON site, a ForestGEO plot, the TEMPEST coastal forest experiment, and the Global Change Research Wetland (GCReW), which supports in situ studies of biogeochemical responses to global change.
SERC also offers advanced analytical instrumentation and computing infrastructure for geospatial analysis, modeling, and statistical research. The position benefits from access to broader Smithsonian resources, including expertise across multiple science units such as Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI).
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) seeking qualified candidates for a Sustainable Agriculture Physical Scientist position with expertise in system-level research in fields such as agroecology, sustainable agriculture, forestry and related topics.
Our goal is to establish a research program that addresses key agricultural sustainability challenges—spanning agrivoltaics, regenerative practices, forestry, soil and nutrient management, and water systems—through an integrated, systems-level framework across ecological, technological, economic, and social domains. We also anticipate that the research program will use SERC as a model landscape and conduct comparative studies across other local, regional, and global sites as appropriate. The research is highly innovative, encompassing multiple distinct and complex thematic areas.
Our goal is to establish a research program that addresses key agricultural sustainability challenges—spanning agrivoltaics, regenerative practices, forestry, soil and nutrient management, and water systems—through an integrated, systems-level framework across ecological, technological, economic, and social domains. We also anticipate that the research program will use SERC as a model landscape and conduct comparative studies across other local, regional, and global sites as appropriate. The research is highly innovative, encompassing multiple distinct and complex thematic areas.
- Expertise in physical science disciplines (e.g., soil chemistry, soil physics, geochemistry, biogeochemistry, or hydrology) and experience conducting research in both field and laboratory settings related to agroecology, sustainable agriculture, forestry, and allied areas (see qualification requirements).
- Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with research institutions, organizations, and the public to support and advance program goals.
- Examines the physical and chemical properties of environmental media (e.g., air, water, soil, and sediments), including nutrient fate and transport, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and chemical transformations. These processes underpin understanding of environmental system function, pollutant behavior, and the measurement, modeling, and assessment of environmental conditions. Although the work supports environmental outcomes, it primarily emphasizes the quantitative analysis and modeling of physical and chemical processes rather than biological or ecological systems.
- Knowledge of research design, planning, and implementation for investigating ecological processes in field and laboratory settings.
- This research program addresses critical challenges through the integrated use of field and laboratory studies, instrumentation, sensors, and computational tools to produce ecological and environmental data aligned with SERC themes. The work requires significant independence and judgment in determining research priorities and approaches.
- Develops innovative and competitive research proposals that support program goals and advance research priorities. Identifies and pursues promising research opportunities aligned with agency needs and the current state of the science.
- Responds to funding opportunities from both internal SI sources and diverse external sponsors, including federal agencies (e.g., U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey, National Science Foundation), state natural resource agencies, non-governmental organizations, private foundations, and international entities.
- Coordinates proposal development with the Smithsonian Office of Sponsored Projects and SERC leadership. Prepares and manages budgets covering research travel, supplies, equipment, and personnel.
- Develops position descriptions and secures funding to support staffing needs associated with funded projects. May serve as principal investigator and/or co-investigator on multiple proposals and projects.
- Prepares reports and delivers presentations summarizing research findings, network accomplishments, and program outcomes.
- Disseminates methods, results, and impacts through digital and virtual platforms.
- Publishes and communicates original and applied research on ecological and physical processes, drawing on disciplines such as chemistry, physics, geochemistry, hydrology, and atmospheric science to evaluate environmental conditions in field and laboratory settings.
- Communications are informed by the analysis and interpretation of complex experimental, long-term, and large-scale datasets and align with the program’s overall research goals and objectives. Authors and disseminates findings to advance understanding of research techniques and ecological processes.
Basic Requirements
A Ph.D. in a physical science, engineering, or mathematics field that included at least 24 semester hours (at the bachelor’s level or higher) in physical science and/or related engineering sciences (e.g., mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, electronics);
OR
A combination of education and specialized experience that includes coursework equivalent to a major in one of the fields listed above, with at least 24 semester hours in physical science or related disciplines (e.g., physics, chemistry, geology, earth science, soil science, atmospheric or environmental science, or applied mathematics), along with appropriate experience and/or additional education.
Applicants must also possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in federal service or a comparable pay system. Applications must clearly document the duration of this experience (in months and years) and hours worked per week.
Specialized Experience
Applicants must demonstrate experience in the following areas:
Applicants must demonstrate experience in the following areas:
- Physical science disciplines such as soil chemistry, soil physics, soil geochemistry, biogeochemistry, or hydrology
- Ecovoltaics, agrivoltaics, agroecology, sustainable agriculture, or the impacts of agriculture on terrestrial and aquatic systems
- Securing research funding through competitive internal and/or external sources
- Publishing data-rich research with regional and/or national significance
- Presenting research findings to scientific and broader audiences
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
The application package must include both; Resume and Cover letter. A personal summary is optional.
The application package must include both; Resume and Cover letter. A personal summary is optional.
Resumes must include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not included.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact SERC_HR@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact SERC_HR@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please click the following: https://www.si.edu/oeo