AI is no longer just a translator or image recognizer. Today, we engage with systems that remember our preferences, proactively manage our calendars, and even provide emotional support. They build ongoing bonds with users. They change their behavior based on our habits. They don't just wait for commands; they suggest next steps.

The USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology, in Beltsville, Maryland, is seeking a POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, (Research Biologist (Computational/Bioinformatics)/Geneticist) for a TWO YEAR APPOINTMENT. Salary is commensurate with experience (starting at $74,950 per annum) plus benefits. As antimicrobial resistance becomes a more significant problem worldwide, the USDA is actively investigating alternative to antibiotics in swine that promote growth performance and disease resistance. The incumbent will work as a part of a multi-disciplinary team (microbiology, immunology, physiology, and bioinformatics) to identify and develop alternatives to in-feed antibiotics. The participant's specific project will involve the application of machine learning models to microbiome datasets with the end goal of identifying biomarkers associated with improved swine growth.

Using a method that models drug and target protein interactions using natural language processing techniques, the researchers achieved up to 97% accuracy in identifying promising drug candidates. The results were published recently in the journal Briefings in Bioinformatics. The technique represents drug-protein interactions through words for each protein binding site and uses deep learning to extract the features that govern the complex interactions between the two. "With AI becoming more available, this has become something that AI can tackle," says study co-author Ozlem Garibay, an assistant professor in UCF's Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems. "You can try out so many variations of proteins and drug interactions and find out which are more likely to bind or not."

The Neutron Sciences Directorate (NScD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) operates the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), the United States' highest flux reactor based neutron source, and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world's most intense pulsed accelerator based neutron source. Together these facilities operate 30 instruments for neutron scattering research, each year carrying out in excess of 1,000 experiments in the physical, chemical, materials, biological and medical sciences. HFIR also provides unique facilities for isotope production and neutron irradiation. To learn more about Neutron Sciences at ORNL go to: http://neutrons.ornl.gov. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is also a leader in computational and computer science, with unique strengths in high-performance computing and data analytics with applications to the physical and biological sciences.