EPA Internship: Exposure Dose Modeling Scientist to Support NAM Chemical Safety Assessment
Application Deadline
12/4/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis and applications may close before the deadline.
EPA Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 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.
Research Project: Due to the large number of chemicals in commerce and subsequently introduced into the environment, chemical safety assessments reliant on traditional animal testing have been unable to keep pace with the need to generate hazard and exposure data to support screening, prioritization, and human health risk assessment. To address this, EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention is developing and evaluating in vitro-based "New Approach Method" (NAM) testing strategies to rapidly and cost-effectively inform such decision-making. EPA's Risk Assessment Support Division is developing and applying high throughput test methods to identify NAM-based in vitro points of departure - concentrations at which biological perturbations are observed. Exposure-dose modeling leverages chemical-specific toxicokinetic data to estimate what external exposures are required to achieve systemic blood concentrations that are equivalent to these assay-derived in vitro points of departure. By incorporating NAM data into a model that recapitulates "real-world", in vivo exposure scenarios, the NAM data can be directly translated into "equivalent doses," which can then be compared to anticipated exposure levels to evaluate risk (hazard + exposure = risk). The toxicokinetic data are generated using cell-based or biochemical assays combined with analytical chemistry techniques to characterize changes in chemical concentrations.
With guidance from the mentor, you may be involved in any or all of the following training activities:
- Conducting cell-based and/or biochemical assays that measure chemical absorption, plasma binding, metabolism and other in vitro toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic endpoints.
- Extracting and preparing assay samples for analysis by a range of mass spectrometry methods.
- Developing customized analytical methods to evaluate a wide range of commercial chemicals or emerging contaminants, by tandem mass spectrometry coupled with either gas or liquid chromatographic separation.
- Analyzing experimental data and generating tables, figures, and other summaries of results.
- Applying quality assurance/quality control principles, statistical analyses, and computational models to interpret data sets and to implement in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) exposure-dose modeling.
- Compiling and summarizing scientific information from the peer-reviewed literature and from on-line data sources.
- Presenting research results at internal and/or scientific meetings and contributing to peer-reviewed publications.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, you will learn a wide range of laboratory techniques which can be applied across several life sciences and analytical chemistry research disciplines. You will learn to operate and use a range of scientific equipment. You will learn to execute cellular and/or biochemical assays. You will learn search strategies and tools to efficiently and transparently document literature retrieval and evaluation. You will learn to evaluate data quality, troubleshoot research results, and apply statistical methods for data analysis and interpretation.
You will be integrated into a multidisciplinary research team and engaged in multiple aspects of project planning, communication, research implementation, and analysis. You will be afforded an opportunity to interact with internationally recognized leaders, both within and outside EPA. You will have the opportunity to contribute to original research and associated publications. It is expected that this training opportunity will provide you with knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to apply new technologies and associated data to regulatory decision-making at the local, national, and/or international scale and to a professional career in life sciences research.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Barbara Wetmore (wetmore.barbara@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: Fall/Winter 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.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) 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.
Questions: Please see the FAQ section of our website. If you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.EPA.OCSPP@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 (biology, toxicology, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology, bioinformatics, computational toxicology, or a related field). Degree must have been received within the past five years, or be currently pursuing.
Degree preference is a received bachelor's, or pursuing or received master's.
Stipend
$52,693.00 – $64,453.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.