Nanomaterial Curation and Data Management (Part-time) at EPA

Organization
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reference Code
EPA-SSP-0017-6
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.

Description

The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has a part-time (up to 20 hours per week) opening for a Nanomaterial Curation and Data Management position with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA’s Research Triangle facility in Raleigh-Durham, 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.

The Toxicity Assessment Division (TAD) is one of three health divisions of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) within ORD/EPA. TAD is located on EPA’s Main Campus in Research Triangle Park, NC.  The Toxicity Assessment Division addresses toxicological mechanisms and responses for target organ systems using multiple strategies related to (1) chemical screening and prioritization, including assessing in vivo predictive value of in vitro tests and test methods development and interpretation; (2) chemical- specific and mixtures toxicity assessment, including hazard identification and dose-response characterization; (3) development and use of animal models of disease; and (4) evaluation of specific assumptions and hypotheses generated by systems biology models in collaboration with the Integrated Systems Toxicology Division.

NHEERL Researchers across the Agency are involved in research on engineered nanomaterials and nanoinformatic methods. This opportunity involves populating a database on the environmental and biological effects of engineered nanomaterials. The task requires understanding of the role of nanomaterials in consumer products, their potential of release into the environment, and potential for exposure and effects in sensitive species including humans. The database structure has been developed and now needs to be populated with data from existing publications from the Office of Research and Development (ORD) relative to the environmental fate, transport, transformations, exposure and effects on ecological or human species.

The position will require reading manuscripts, extracting relevant data, entering the data into spreadsheets, working with scientists on the research team to assist data formatting and entry, curating the data, quality control checks, manipulating data in the database using Structured Query Language (SQL). The selected candidate shall also work closely with computer programmers and project managers regarding data format, database structure and maintenance. After populating the database, the selected candidate shall participate in designing front-end user interfaces for data analysis, and conducting novel analyses of the database. He/she shall have opportunities to write and co-author manuscripts based on analyses of the database, if appropriate.

Application and Database Programming responsibilities shall include:

  • Using knowledge of environmental and biological actions of nanoparticles to guide the appropriate codification of data and description of experimental variables into the database; and
  • Working directly with data owners to curate data in spreadsheets for entry into MySQL database.

Communications-related responsibilities shall include:

  • Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team;
  • Interacting with other members of the development team as well as EPA scientists; and
  • Documenting database development efforts.

The selected candidate may be asked to present work performed in the course of their work as a poster or presentation at a scientific conference or other forum.

Location: This job will be located EPA’s Research Triangle facility in Raleigh-Durham, NC.

Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $28.14 for hours worked. The selected candidate will work part-time (up to 20 hours per week).

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

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Expected Start Date: The position is part-time (up to 20 hours per week) and expected to begin in November 2017. The initial project is through May 14, 2018, followed by up to two (2) 12-month optional periods.

Working Conditions: 

The selected applicant shall be supervised by a mentor who will provide day-to-day direction, as well as coach, advise, counsel and review his/her work.  This position will involve work in an administrative setting and is not expected to involve exposure to hazardous elements.

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 Master’s degree in toxicology, biology, computational biology 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

The applicant shall have:

  • Experience evaluating environmental effects of nanomaterials;
  • Strong written, oral and electronic communication skills;
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook);
  • Knowledge of nanomaterial environmental and toxicological science; and
  • Understanding of relevant parameters to extract from the published literature, as well as conducting novel assessments of the completed database.
Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
  • Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 24 month(s).
  • Discipline(s):
    • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
    • Environmental and Marine Sciences (13 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (45 )
    • Physics (16 )
    • Science & Engineering-related (1 )
Affirmation

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; a recent graduate with a Master’s degree in toxicology, biology, computational biology 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.