EPA Vehicle Statistical Analysis Support (Part Time)

Organization
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reference Code
EPA-SSP-0023-6
Description

The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has an immediate opening for a part-time (20 hours per week) EPA Vehicle Statistical Analysis Support position with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

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.

A team of researchers in the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division (ECAT) in Research Triangle Park, NC perform research assessing the energy use and emissions associated with a range of technologies across the entire energy system.  As part of that, researchers are interested in better understanding the on-road, real-world fuel economy of light-duty vehicles and analyzing data that is self-reported by drivers through a variety of fuel economy mobile apps and websites.

The selected candidate shall provide statistical analysis and other data management and data analysis support to the ECAT research efforts. These support roles are described below:

Area 1: Background review of existing studies analyzing self-reported fuel economy data

The selected candidate shall identify and review studies, including published work in peer-reviewed literature, as well as reports and other sources that have assessed data on self-reported fuel economy.  This includes data that is reported by drivers of light-duty vehicles (cars, trucks, minivans, etc), based on their own real-world driving.

Area 2: Comparison of sources of self-reported fuel economy data

The selected candidate shall work with APPCD researchers to review and catalogue a range of sources of self-reported fuel economy data, with a focus on web-based platforms and mobile apps, including those from both government and commercial sources.  He/she shall compare platforms in terms of the how users access the platform or app and input the data, the categories of data included, vehicle classification and identification, and how data is stored, shared, exported or imported.  The comparison will also describe how data is presented to users, particularly any statistical analysis of the data. 

Area 3: Analysis of self-reported fuel economy data

The selected candidate shall work with the team to identify self-reported fuel economy data sources with a focus on U.S. data, and where possible, will work with the APPCD researchers to access that data and consolidate in a single database.  He/she will design and implement statistical analyses to compare fuel economy estimates from different sources, including from official government ratings, with the goal of understanding how differences in self-reporting platforms (as identified in Area 2) affect the data.   

Location: This job will be located at EPA’s facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Salary: Selected applicants will become temporary employees of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $20.65 for hours worked.

Hours: Part-time; up to 20 hours per week.

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. 

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

Travel: No overnight travel is anticipated.

Expected Start Date: The position is part-time up to 20 hours per week expected to begin December 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 mathematics, statistics, economics, engineering, physical sciences 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 candidate shall have:

  • Relevant coursework in 4 or more of the following: statistics, statistical inference, statistical programming, statistical methods, spatial statistics, probability, surveys, regression analysis, data analysis, data mining, data science, statistical computing, and statistics for social/behavioral sciences.  
  • Proficiency with advanced statistical analyses and programing using R, SAS, or Stata.

Desired Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

It is desirable for the candidate to have:

  • Strong skills in independent research work as demonstrated by research projects for coursework, research paper or thesis, approved independent study, or as evidenced by related work experience in statistics.  

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).
  • Discipline(s):
    • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
    • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (16 )
    • Engineering (27 )
    • Environmental and Marine Sciences (1 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (10 )
    • Other Non-Science & Engineering (2 )
    • Physics (16 )
    • Social and Behavioral Sciences (4 )
Affirmation

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; Have earned at least a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, economics, engineering, physical sciences 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.