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.

If you have questions, send an email to EPArpp@orau.org.  Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is currently available with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD) National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) Gulf Ecology Division (GED) located in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

Under the guidance of a mentor, the research participant will have the opportunity to engage in activities that address critical priorities to develop methods and data to facilitate application of ecosystem services and their benefits to watershed and waterbody assessments, ecosystem restoration, and community revitalization in Chesapeake Bay. This research project will develop and apply methods by which decision-makers can identify and prioritize ecosystem goods and services, quantify how management actions may impact ecosystem services, and communicate potential co-benefits and tradeoffs to stakeholders.

Research activities and learning opportunities may include:

• conducting literature reviews to identify of relevant biophysical measures of ecosystem services
• compiling and managing secondary data from partners or online databases on biophysical attributes and ecological condition
• identifying and applying methods/models to quantify ecosystem service production
• identifying and applying of methods/models to translate ecosystem services production into measures of socio-economic benefit
• engaging stakeholders to ensure approaches and outputs integrate with decision-maker needs
• compiling and reviewing scientific literature relevant to this project
• compiling, analyzing, and visualizing data relevant to this project (e.g., GIS, R, Excel)
• writing reports, scientific manuscripts, and giving presentations

The mentor for this opportunity is Susan Yee (yee.susan@epa.gov).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: November 1, 2019

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. The initial appointment is for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of EPA and is contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time at EPA in the Gulf Breeze, Florida, area. Participants do not become employees of EPA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. 

Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at EPA. OPM can complete a background investigation only for individuals, including non-US Citizens, who have resided in the US for the past three years.

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing the degree and will reach completion by the appointment start date. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.

Preferred skills:

• Knowledge of ecological functions and processes, ecosystem services, coastal habitats and organisms, and environmental management issues occurring in coastal ecosystems
• Exceptional skill in data management and data analysis, documenting activities, writing reports and scientific manuscripts, verbal communication, and/or stakeholder engagement

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2019 11:59:00 PM.
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design (1 )
  • Earth and Geosciences (1 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (8 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (3 )
  • Other Non-Science & Engineering (1 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 )

I certify that I have lived in the United States for the past three years.