• Submit application and supporting documents by clicking on Apply Now button.
• Do not contact EPA directly.

The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has an immediate opening for a part-time (up to 30 hours per week)  Remote Sensing Associate with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Narragansett, RI.

The Office of Research and Development 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.

The Atlantic Ecology Division (AED) is an ORD research facility in Narragansett RI. Our research is focused on estuaries and coastal watersheds.  We have modelers looking at urban environments and landscape changes; economists quantifying ecosystem services; and managers working at the interface between science and policy. The research conducted at AED is broad in geographic scope, yet much of it is regionally based. We promote a positive and collaborative work environment.

The selected candidate shall assist his/her mentor in developing tools for extracting eelgrass distribution and biomass in estuaries of southern New England and forecast primary production from satellite imagery. He/she shall be involved in geospatial statistics, computer coding, and marine optics research. 

The selected candidate shall have the opportunity to interact with multiple state and federal agencies and become involved in a broader research effort addressing various issues related to satellite water quality research for estuaries. He/she shall have the opportunity to gain experience using data and tools developed by multiple federal agencies and academic institutions. He/she shall also have an opportunity to gain experience in problem formulation, data analysis and interpretation, statistical and mathematical programming, and technical communication. The selected candidate shall be encouraged to participate in developing manuscripts and presentations and will have access to Government equipment, including computers and printers to complete assignments.

The selected candidate shall provide assistance in  the following activities while under the supervision of an assigned mentor:

• Satellite algorithm validation and applications
• Field collection of estuarine in-situ optical and water quality data
• Estuarine seagrass modeling and spatial analysis
• Acquisition, processing, and analysis of USGS Landsat 8 and Digital Globe WorldView-2 & 3 satellite imagery

Location: This job will be located at EPA’s facility in Narragansett, RI.

Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage for hours worked at a rate of $30.30 per hour.

Hours: Part-Time .

Travel: Occasional day travel may be required and travel to one (1) national meeting is anticipated.

Working Conditions:  The selected candidate shall be supervised by a mentor who will provide day-to-day direction, as well as coach, inform and counsel his/her, and review their work.  The mentor for this position will be a federal EPA employee. 

This position will involve work in an administrative setting and is not expected to involve exposure to hazardous elements. There are no funds available for a relocation allowance.

Expected Start Date: The position is full time and expected to begin August 2018.  The selected applicant will be a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The initial contract period is through May 14, 2019, followed by one (1) additional 12 month option period.

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

Eligible applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age and
• Have earned at least a Master’s degree in Environmental and Marine Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, Earth and Geoscience, Computer Science or closely related field 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.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

Successful candidates shall have:

• Knowledge and experience in processing, analyzing, and comparing in situ bio-optical data with remote sensing data.
• Experience in collecting water samples in an estuarine setting, determining light absorption due to Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) using a spectrophotometer and concentrations of phytoplankton using a fluorometer.
• Experience in deriving remote sensing reflectance and backscattering in estuarine waters.
• Experience with Mat Lab, Python or R computer coding languages.
• Experience with Excel.
• Strong leadership and organizational skills, including demonstrated ability to handle multiple assignments with competing deadlines.
• Strong proof reading and editing skills.
• Strong written, oral and electronic communication skills. 

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 24 month(s).
• Minimum Overall GPA: 2.00
• Discipline(s):
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (16 )
  • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
  • Engineering (4 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (10 )
  • Physics (16 )

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; have earned at least a Master’s degree in Environmental and Marine Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, Earth and Geoscience, Computer Science or closely related field 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.