Click HERE to apply. 

The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full time Wet Lab Support position with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Gulf Breeze, FL.

The Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the EPA supports high-quality research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

What the EPA project is about

Within ORD, the Center for Environmental Measurement & Modeling (CEMM) conducts research to advance EPA’s ability to measure and model contaminants in the environment, including research to provide fundamental methods and models needed to implement environmental statutes. The methods and models developed by CEMM are typically applied at the airshed, watershed and ecosystem level. Within CEMM, the Gulf Ecosystem Measurement and Modeling Division (GEMMD) provides leadership and specialized research in marine, estuarine, and watershed ecology and ecotoxicology to predict and assess the effects of human-generated stressors on the unique aquatic resources of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico & the Nation. GEMMD develops tools and the scientific basis that help facilitate sustainable environmental management decisions that maximize economic, ecosystem, social outcomes, and resiliency.

What experience and skills will you gain?

As a team member, you will work with EPA scientists working under the Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS) and Safe and Sustainable Water Resource (SSWR) teams. As a member of the CSS team that determines molecular and population level effects of chemical stressors on aquatic organisms, you will primarily culture and test aquatic and terrestrial organisms (e.g., fathead minnow, sheepshead minnows, frogs and toads) and develop and maintain toxicity databases. As a member of the SSWR team that determines the effects of land-based stressors on coral reef ecosystems, you will occasionally assist with culturing corals in the laboratory. The team member should expect to gain experience in the use and care of live animals in a laboratory setting; sample preparation methods for chemical analyses; data management and analysis; laboratory and field sampling protocols; outreach and education; and scientific writing.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Data entry, documentation, and analysis;
• Constructing, cleaning, monitoring, and maintaining laboratory culture and testing systems and organisms;
• Measuring, maintaining, documenting, and quality assurance of laboratory test conditions and parameters;
• Obtaining, preparing, organizing, and/or maintaining research supplies, materials, and/or solutions;
• Preparing biological and environmental samples for chemical analyses;
• Compiling data and literature references into organized computer files;
• Literature and web searches on chemical properties and mechanisms of action;
• Maintaining laboratory notebooks as instructed by mentors;
• Quality assurance and database management of toxicity databases;
• Field collection of specimens and water samples and routine field parameters; and
• Conforming to all health and safety, environmental compliance, and research protocols.

Communications-related responsibilities will include:

• Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team;
• Interact with EPA scientists;
• Report regularly via email to inform team members of progress; and
• Participate in conferences and seminars, as requested.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

• Experience with general database management (e.g. Microsoft Excel);
• Experience with laboratory techniques and environmental studies;
• Experience with marine aquaculture; and
• Knowledge of basic laboratory safety requirements. Will be given additional safety training at the Gulf Ecosystems Measurement and Modeling Division.

Location: This job will be located EPA’s facility in Gulf Breeze, FL.

Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $22.24 for hours worked.

Hours: Full-time.

Travel: The majority of work will be performed in a research laboratory at the EPA's Gulf Ecosystems Measurement and Modeling Division in Gulf Breeze, FL. However, some field work in the local area may be required.

Expected start date: The position is full time and expected to begin October 2022. The selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The contract renews each May through 2025.

For more information, contact EPANSSC@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly.

• Be at least 18 years of age and
• Have earned at least a Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, environmental science or a related field of study from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months and
• Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.

EPA ORD employees, their spouses, and children are not eligible to participate in this program.

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree.
• Discipline(s):
  • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (48 )

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; a recent graduate with at least a Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, environmental science or a related field of study from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months; a citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States of America; and not a current employee of EPA ORD or the spouse or child of an EPA ORD employee.

Click HERE to apply.