EPA Air Pollution Science Librarian 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), Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), with the Integrated Health Assessment Branch (IHAB) within the Impacts and Ambient Standards Division (IASD) located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
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. The division leads reviews of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and conducts quantitative assessments of exposure and risk for air pollutants. IHAB is responsible for scientific assessment activities related to the health effects of air pollutants within the Integrated Science Assessments (ISAs). The ISAs provide the scientific foundation for EPA regulatory decisions on the NAAQS.
Research Project: The selected participant will report to IHAB. This opportunity is suited for someone who is seeking an opportunity to contribute to high-impact policy-relevant scientific assessments and research in support of the 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 air pollution data, including development and application of literature search and screening strategies.
- Developing and applying the skills needed to prepare Integrated Review Documents.
- Devising scientific literature searching approaches for IHAB’s science-based assessment process and interacting with EPA scientists to improve assessment methodologies (e.g., evaluating the effectiveness of competing scientific literature search strategies for identifying studies included in the ISAs).
- Interacting with scientific literature databases and improving integration between literature screening software, repositories, and users (e.g., evaluation of machine learning-based literature screening tools; development of techniques for AI based-data extraction from scientific manuscripts during literature screening).
- Conducting independent library science research projects, while receiving guidance from the EPA mentor, with the potential opportunity to author peer-reviewed publications or develop conference presentations.
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 scientific literature searches, data curation, document acquisition, and general assessment support. In particular, the selected participant will learn approaches for the identification and evaluation scientific evidence on the health effects of environmental pollutant exposures that inform EPA scientific assessments. The participant will have the opportunity to utilize and potentially improve upon the Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database, which supports EPA science assessments by including more than 3 million scientific references and data from the peer-reviewed literature used by the EPA. 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 shall be a fellow in a interdisciplinary team of health scientists. The selected participant will observe, collaborate with, and gain knowledge from staff in IHAB, IASD, and potentially from other EPA Offices. The participant may contribute to projects related to the effectiveness of competing literature search strategies for identifying studies included in the ISAs, evaluation of machine learning-based literature screening tools, and development of techniques for AI based-data extraction from scientific manuscripts. The research participant will have opportunities to conduct large scientific literature searches that will contribute to EPA scientific assessments, briefings for stakeholders, and potentially result in conference presentations or peer-reviewed publications. The participant will learn about the EPA’s process for science and policy assessments and federal rule-making, as well as gain experience with 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 Adrien Wilkie (wilkie.adrien@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 3, 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 $52,693 - $64,453 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 or master's degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. information science or library science).
Preferred skills:
- Knowledge of relational databases
- Strong written, oral, and electronic communication skills
- Complex Boolean literature search queries
- Experience with major online research databases including Pubmed or Web of Science
- Detailed recordkeeping skills to document literature search for transparency and reproducibility
- Experience being a part of a high performing team
- Experience with Endnote, SQL, and Python is strongly desired.
Stipend
$52,693.00 – $64,453.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree.
- Minimum Overall GPA: 3.00