EPA Risk Communication: Implementation, Best Practices, and Theory of Change Fellowship
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A complete application consists of:
- An application
- Transcript(s) – For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. All transcripts must be in English or include an official English translation. Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
- A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
- Two educational or professional recommendations
All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.
*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis. Click here for information about the selection process.
EPA Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is available within Risk Communication in the Office of Public Affairs (OPA), Office of the Administrator (OA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Risk communication staff are focused on improving processes, tools, training, and science to support risk communication activities at the Agency. Because of the nature of EPA's mission to protect human health and the environment, risk communication is critical to much of the work that we do.
Research Project: The research participant will gain a working knowledge of how the EPA interacts within the federal government and with relevant stakeholders on issues related to risk communication through participation in agency meetings, project team meetings, and scientific conferences. The research participant will better understand how to plan, track, and report on research activities. The participant will gain hands on experience and new knowledge through direct participation in cutting edge implementation and organizational science related to risk communication.
This project involves risk communication relevant research, translational science, theory of change research, and scientifically grounded product development. The participant will have the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in the research area of risk communication, environmental risk, science translation, and organizational science. This training opportunity will provide the research participant with exposure to collaborative inter-agency efforts related to risk communication process, tools, training, and science. It will also advance the participant’s expertise in project management and scientific communication.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of the mentor, research activities and learning objectives include:
- Scoping and developing new risk communication training and tools.
- Learn about emerging and key issues related to environmental health risk communication including but not limited to: climate risk, PFAS, Lead, Ethylene Oxide, flooding and wildfire.
- Evaluate risk communication training platforms and possibility of using evaluation to improve the training.
- Learn about how science informs the risk management and rule making processes and build skills in translating complex science.
- Identify challenges related to risk communication and community engagement.
- Apply background in social science, public health, or communication science to real-world risk communication and community engagement settings.
- Develop research summaries and other communications for technical and nontechnical audiences.
- Develop guidance documents based on best available science to improve risk.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Madeline Beal (beal.madeline@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: Spring 2024. All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors. Click here for detailed information about start dates.
Appointment Length: The appointment initially may be for one year and may be renewed up to three additional years upon EPA recommendation and subject to availability of funding.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Click here for detailed information about full-time stipends. At this time the annual stipend for this opportunity is ~$62,000
EPA Security Clearance: Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at EPA.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and EPA. Participants do not become employees of EPA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
ORISE offers all ORISE EPA postdoctoral students and Postdocs a free 5 year membership to the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA).
The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).
Questions: Please see the FAQ section of our website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.EPA.REG@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
The qualified candidate should have received a master's degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing one of the degrees with completion before the appointment start date. Degree must have been received within the past five years.
Preferred skills/experience:
- Ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing
- Ability to convey complex scientific and technical concepts to diverse audiences
- Experience collaborating with teams and work groups to arrive at solutions to complex problems
- Ability to perform literature reviews and other summaries of scientific findings
- Skill working with diverse colleagues from different fields and roles
- Organizational and time management skills
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