EPA Research Opportunity with the EPA’s Water Data Integration Branch

Organization

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Reference Code

EPA-OW-OWOW-2022-09

How to Apply

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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. Click here for detailed information about recommendations.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

Application Deadline

8/23/2022 11:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis and this posting could close before the deadline. Click here for information about the selection process.

EPA Office/Lab and Location: A research training opportunity is currently available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water (OW). The appointment will be served in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW), Water Data Integration Branch (WDIB) located in Washington D.C., EPA Headquarters.

Research Project: The Water Data Integration Branch strategizes to integrate water quality information to better enable science-based water resource decisions in support of water program goals related to nutrients, non-point sources, national surveys, and assessed and impaired waters. The goal of the project is to increase the utility of water quality data by exploring ways to improve access to and analysis of water quality information by following findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR) data principles. This may include collaboration and research on open source technology data tools, emerging data interoperability efforts such as the Internet of Water, and other Office of Water data.

Learning Objectives:

Learn about the Clean Water Act (CWA)
Apply CWA knowledge to inform information technology and data science solutions
Gain experience working with CWA implementing Agencies (states, territories, tribes, and nations)
Increase technical skills of interest (e.g. R coding, GIS, SQL)
Gain understanding of government environmental operations

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: Fall 2022. All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors. Click here for detailed information about start dates.

Mentor: The mentor(s) for this opportunity is Laura Shumway (shumway.laura@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s) or project coordinator.

Appointment Length: The appointment initially may be for one year and may be renewed 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.

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 graduate 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.OW@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing one of the degrees with completion before December 31, 2022. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preference will be given to applicants with strong technical skills including open source development (R, python, GIS) or a strong desire to gain such skills.

Point of Contact

Debi Ash

Eligibility Requirements

Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2022 11:59:00 PM.
Discipline(s):
- Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
- Communications and Graphics Design (3 )
- Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (17 )
- Earth and Geosciences (17 )
- Engineering (27 )
- Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
- Life Health and Medical Sciences (48 )
- Mathematics and Statistics (11 )
- Physics (16 )
- Science & Engineering-related (2 )
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (28 )

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