EPA Atmospheric Science & Assessment Fellowship
Application Deadline
7/17/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis and this posting could close before the deadline.
EPA Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Impacts and Ambient Standards Division (IASD), located in Washington, DC.
The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA works to ensure that: Americans have clean air, land and water; National efforts to reduce environmental risks are based on the best available scientific information; Federal laws protecting human health and the environment are administered and enforced fairly, effectively and as Congress intended; Environmental stewardship is integral to U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy; All parts of society have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks; Contaminated lands and toxic sites are cleaned up; and chemicals in the marketplace are reviewed for safety.
IASD provides expert evaluation and analysis of health, environmental, and economic impacts of air pollution to inform national regulations. These pollutants include criteria pollutants, air toxics, ozone depleting substances, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Division leads review and revision of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), and conducts quantitative assessments of exposure and risk for air pollutants. IASD analyzes benefits and costs of addressing air quality through regulatory programs and communicates health and environmental risk information to stakeholders. IASD is comprised of seven branches: Air Pollution Toxicology Branch, Ambient Standards Branch, Economic Analysis Branch, Economic Modeling Branch, Integrated Health Assessment Branch, Integrated Welfare Effects Branch, and Risk & Exposure Assessment Branch.
Research Project: The selected participant will report to the Integrated Welfare Effects Branch within IASD. This opportunity is suited for an applicant who is seeking an opportunity to learn about high impact, policy-relevant research and scientific assessments in support of EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. The participant may be engaged in one or more of the following training opportunities:
- Applying systematic review methods to atmospheric information to support IASD staff as they develop scientific assessments and environmental policy and implementation documents. This may include developing and applying literature search and screening strategies, study evaluation, synthesis of evidence, and analyses of air quality and environmental impact data.
- Learning about and supporting air quality (e.g., atmospheric emissions, chemistry, transport, deposition) and welfare (e.g., air quality effects on non-ecological effects such as visibility) assessment documents that reflect current scientific knowledge, including drafting text, creating figures, and reviewing and responding to stakeholder comments.
- Developing analyses to support the assessment of air pollution and environmental impacts in the United States. Topics could include but are not limited to estimating health, ecological, and/or economic effects of air pollution under varying environmental conditions, estimating the impacts of air pollution in the stratosphere, improving estimates of uncertainty, and estimating background (or non-controllable) sources of criteria air pollutants.
- Identifying and researching cross-cutting scientific issues that arise in EPA science assessments, rulemakings, and policy development.
- Conduct independent atmospheric science research projects, with guidance from an EPA mentor, with the potential opportunity to author peer-reviewed publications or develop conference presentations.
- Synthesize technical and policy information for presentation to diverse audiences, including EPA managers and appropriate stakeholder groups.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of the mentor, the selected participant will have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of projects that can include qualitative or quantitative analyses of atmospheric observation and modeling data. In particular, the selected participant will learn approaches for the evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of atmospheric information to inform EPA scientific assessments. The participant will also gain an understanding of how scientific evidence is used to develop and inform EPA program priorities, rule-making, and decision-making processes.
The selected participant will observe, collaborate with, and gain knowledge from staff in the Integrated Welfare Effects Branch, IASD, and potentially from other EPA Offices. The research participant will have opportunities to conduct quantitative or qualitative analyses that will contribute to EPA scientific assessments, briefings for stakeholders, and potentially result in conference presentations or peer-reviewed publications. Through this process the participant will learn about EPA’s process for science and policy assessments and federal rulemaking, as well as gain exposure to a broad range of environmental policy, programs, and related issues, including how domestic regulation under the Clean Air Act, state laws, and international and domestic policy work to protect air quality.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Erin McDuffie (mcduffie.erin.e@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: As soon as possible, 2026. All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year and may be renewed three to four additional years upon EPA recommendation and subject to availability of funding.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $57,736 - $85,447 annually.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.
EPA Security Clearance: Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at EPA.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and EPA. Participants do not become employees of EPA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
ORISE offers all ORISE EPA graduate students and Postdocs a free 5 year membership to the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA).
The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).
Questions: If you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.EPA.Other@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2026.
Preferred skills:
- Relevant coursework, experience, and a strong interest in environmental science, preferably in atmospheric science or air quality research
- Evaluation and synthesis of information from published literature
- Quantitative data analysis (preferably using R or Python) and experience with analyzing environmental datasets and/or atmospheric model output
- Superior writing skills and effective communication of scientific information for technical and non-technical audiences
- Enjoys researching independently and has a strong interest in learning from and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams (atmospheric, health, ecology, and economic sciences)
Stipend
$57,736.00 – $85,447.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2026 11:59:59 PM.