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A complete application package 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.  Selected candidate must provide proof of completion of the degree before the appointment can start.  Click Here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
• A current resume/CV
• Two educational or professional recommendations. At least one recommendation must be submitted in order for the mentor to view your application.

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

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

USFS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Office of Sustainability and Climate. This is a virtual opportunity that will require limited travel (less than 25%).

The Forest Service (FS) mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.  The Forest Service manages a system of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands in 44 States and Puerto Rico. These lands encompass 193 million acres, an area almost twice the size of California.  They have some of the richest resources and most breathtaking scenery in the world, as well as drinking water for millions of Americans; these lands also help create or maintain hundreds of thousands of jobs. Impacts from climate change, extreme weather, and other disturbances—along with changing human demands—challenge our ability to ensure that ecosystems are healthy, resilient, and thus more adaptable to changing conditions. 

The Office of Sustainability and Climate works to help the agency adjust behaviors and actions by using the best available science and information to ensure our forests and grasslands continue to deliver values, products, and services both now and in the future.

Research Project: This is a virtual fellowship. The Sustainable Operations Fellow will be part of the Greening Fire Program and will learn about the burgeoning field of sustainable operations in wildfire incidents. They will be participating with a diverse team that works on a variety of technical STEM field activities, policy research, and outreach and communications activities. 

Learning Objectives: The participant will have a chance to:

• Learn about wildland fire operations and interagency efforts to promote sustainable incident operations through the Greening Fire Program;
• Build a network with a broad interagency community committed to reducing greenhouse gases, waste, and energy use, as well as water conservation, green procurement, and sustainability leadership and education;
• To enhance their research and data analysis skills by investigating various greening fire initiatives, opportunities, successes, and synthesizing this information into user-friendly content that motivates individuals to engage in the greening fire program;
• Enhance their communication skillset by developing communication products and materials about the program;
• and, dependent on the participants specific interests and skillset, they will have the opportunity to engage with various teams and individuals to help develop pilot projects to provide on-the-ground learning about what does and does not work in terms of environmental footprint reduction on incidents. 

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Jennifer Hayes (jennifer.hayes@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 2023; start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USFS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with education and experience.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

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 USFS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USFS, 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.

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email USForestService@orise.orau.gov and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields before June 30, 2023.

Preferred Skills:

• An interest in sustainable operations
• Strong written/verbal communications skills
• Communication experience, including content and products and ability to operate video and photography equipment (video editing experience not necessary but helpful)
• Strong research and data analysis skills

Depending on the participant interests, they may be requested to secure a red card to be able to travel to wildfire incidents in the future.

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 6/30/2023 11:59:00 PM.
• Discipline(s):
  • Business (11 )
  • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
  • Communications and Graphics Design (5 )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (5 )
  • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
  • Engineering (27 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (48 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (11 )
  • Other Non-Science & Engineering (8 )
  • Physics (16 )
  • Science & Engineering-related (2 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (29 )