EPA Ecosystem Modeling Research Associate

Organization
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reference Code
EPA-SSP-0029-3
Description

The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has an immediate opening for an EPA Ecosystem Modeling Research Associate with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

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 National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) is the Agency’s focal point for scientific research on the effects of contaminants and environmental stressors on human health and ecosystem integrity. Its research mission and goals help the Agency to identify and understand the processes that affect our health and environment, and helps the Agency to evaluate the risks that pollution poses to human and ecosystems.

The selected candidate shall provide the technical resources and expertise needed to help develop, parameterize, and calibrate quantitative models to support ecosystem research. Topics shall include predicting impacts of changes in land use/land cover, population growth, sea-level rise, and climate effects on coastal communities of the Gulf of Mexico and their associated drainage basins and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. He/she shall assist in estimating ecosystems services, hydrologic networks, economic valuation, decision support tools, scenario analysis, outreach and education, scientific writing, and field and laboratory methods. The selected candidate shall also provide assistance on a sporadic basis to assessments of ecosystem dynamics as determined by the mentor.  He/she shall contribute to research products and meet milestones and project objectives and provide services in support of research directed under the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Team.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

  • Computer programming to format and execute existing quantitative ecological models,
  • Assisting with development of web-applications and Graphic User Interface (GUI) for existing ecological models,
  • Conducting  literature searches involving data needed to parameterize and calibrate existing ecological models,
  • Converting model output into maps in ArcGIS, and
  • Performing, documenting and analyzing data entry.

Communications-related responsibilities will include:

  • Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team,
  • Interacting with EPA scientists, and
  • Updating lab notebook regularly with sample processing details and completion schedules; reporting regularly via email to inform team members of progress; updating electronic reports as necessary.

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

Salary: Selected applicants will become temporary employees of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $20.04 for hours worked.

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

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Expected Start Date: The position is full time and expected to begin November 2016.  The selected applicant will be a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The initial contract period is through May 14, 2017, followed by three (3) additional 12 month option 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 biology, ecology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, geography, geospatial sciences, 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.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

Successful candidate shall have:

  • Experience in at least one of the following computer programming languages: C++, C, C#, Java, FORTRAN, Python, XML or R,
  • Experience finding and organizing data from primary and secondary data sources (electronic media, published standards, and downloadable databases),
  • Experience using Microsoft excel for formatting, normalizing, and managing data for use in mathematical and statistical modeling,
  • Experience compiling, organizing, and summarizing literature references,
  • Experience creating maps with data layers in ArcGIS, and
  • Experience developing graphics, tables and GIS products for scientific reports and manuscripts.

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 )
    • 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 biology, ecology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, geography, geospatial sciences, 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.

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


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