EPA Chemical Risk Technical Support Associate

Organization
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reference Code
EPA-SSP-0008-7
Description

The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has immediate openings for two EPA Chemical Risk Technical Support Associates with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Athens, GA.

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports 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 National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts research to improve the ability of EPA to assess human and ecological exposures to environmental stressors. Many of the stressors of concern are organic chemicals (e.g., pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals) that are released into the environment through waste streams and in runoff from agricultural and urban landscapes. To improve EPA’s ability to assess the exposure risk for harmful organic chemicals, NERL is developing software tools to simulate environmental fate and transport, evaluate exposure potential, and estimate internal dose.

The selected candidates will work within a multi-disciplinary research team and shall provide technical support for the development of computational tools to predict the fate of organic chemicals in environmental and biological systems.

Specific duties will include:

  • Conducting internet and literature searches to compile datasets of product formation rates for specific organic chemical transformation pathways in environmental and biological systems,
  • Applying existing software tools to calculate physicochemical properties and reactivity indicators for chemicals of interest,
  • Curating and compiling data sets of physicochemical properties and molecular descriptors that are needed to develop and evaluate predictive models of chemical reactivity and fate,
  • Providing statistical analysis of data using Excel and the R statistical software package, and
  • Providing quality control of entered data (data entered by third party).

Communications-related responsibilities will include:

  • Compiling and summarizing data and literature references into organized computer files,
  • Participating in team discussions on progress and planned activities,
  • Interacting with other members of the development team as well as EPA scientists,
  • Preparing graphs and charts to display data and modeling results, and
  • Communicating results via presentation(s) and/or written reports.

Location: This job will be located at EPA’s facility in Athens, GA.

Salary: The selected applicants will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $20.04 for hours worked.

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Working Conditions: This position will involve work in an administrative setting and is not expected to involve exposure to hazardous elements.

The selected candidates shall be supervised by a mentor who will provide day-to-day direction, as well as coach, advise and counsel the student, and review the student contractor’s work.  The mentor for this position will be a federal EPA employee. 

Expected Start Date: The position is full time and expected to begin October 2016.  The selected applicants will be temporary employees of ORAU working as contractors to EPA. The initial contract period is through May 14, 2017. EPA may elect to renew the contract for an additional three 12-month optional periods.

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

Qualifications

Eligible applicants must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age and
  • Have earned at least a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, environmental science, engineering, geology, or a closely 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.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

Successful candidates will have:

  • Demonstrated successful completion of at least 12 hours of coursework in organic chemistry and/or biochemistry,
  • Demonstrated education and/or experience using spreadsheets and/or statistical software to analyze data,
  • Demonstrated education and/or experience using chemistry-related software for visualizing molecular structures and/or predicting molecular properties, and
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate with others as part of a team.

How to apply

Submit application and supporting documents by clicking on Apply Now button.

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

Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 24 month(s).
  • Overall GPA: 2.00
  • Discipline(s):
    • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
    • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
    • Engineering (27 )
    • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (45 )
Affirmation

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; a recent graduate with at least a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, environmental science, engineering, geology, or a closely 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.

ORAU is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability); visit the ORAU website for required employment notices.