Understanding Sources of Emissions in Goods Movement and Identifying Opportunities to Reduce Them

Organization
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reference Code
EPA-OTAQ-2019-0028
How to Apply

A complete application consists of:

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.

Application Deadline
9/30/2019 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ). This appointment will be served with the Transportation and Climate Division (TCD) at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The project aligns with the SmartWay goal of improving the fuel economy of SmartWay partners utilizing SmartWay’s emission reduction tools and applications. The project will involve researching and/or developing technical information regarding freight vehicle technology and fuel economy. Research areas will include study and characterization of segments of the goods movement industry; technologies and emission rates; modeling and other methods of analysis. Through this research, opportunities to improve freight efficiency will be identified.

The participant will learn about the SmartWay Transport partnership, the freight industry, truck technology, market-based program design principles, and government operations. The participant will be provided a research study plan to accomplish the project goals and execute it in cooperation with EPA staff. Research will focus on emission rates for specific types of equipment and vehicles, such as refrigeration units and refrigerated vehicles, and on improving emissions characterization for particular segments of the goods movement industry, such as Third-Party Logistics providers and Less-Than-Truckload trucking companies. Other similar research areas may be identified and pursued by the participant.

Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will learn how to develop and conduct a real-world research study using existing resources and programmatic constraints, execute a program design, develop communication and presentation skills, learn how to demonstrate a causality correlation, and use and manipulate data to demonstrate and test a research hypothesis. In addition, basic interpersonal interaction in a modern bureaucratic environment will teach the participant how to operate in a professional environment.  

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 contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and participation (pro-rated for part-time participation); Bachelor's degree: $3,842, Master's degree: $4,700, PhD with less than two years of related post-grad experience: $5,686, PhD with two years of post-grad experience: $6,815. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment can be full-time or part-time (20-39 hours per week), depending on the participant's availability, at EPA in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area. Participants do not become employees of EPA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

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 a master's or doctoral degree. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date. 

Familiarity with IT systems, data programming, data visualization, and statistical software and programming is preferred.

Eligibility Requirements
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree.
  • Academic Level(s): Graduate Students, Post-Bachelor's, Postdoctoral, or Post-Master's.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (2 )
    • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
    • Engineering (27 )
    • Environmental and Marine Sciences (13 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (10 )
Affirmation

I have received a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree within the past 5 years, or I am currently pursuing a master's or doctoral degree.

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