Research and Analysis on Issues Related to National Water Programs

A research opportunity is available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Office of Water (OW), Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW), Partnership Programs Branch (PPB) located in Washington, DC. 

The Partnership Programs Branch supports EPA’s mission to protect and restore U.S. water resources and habitats for the health and economic benefit of all citizens, in both urban and rural communities. PPB plays a critical role in OWOW and the national water program, serving as the focal point for the use of collaborative, stakeholder-driven approaches to help states achieve Clean Water Act goals. The core partnership programs managed by PPB are the Urban Waters Program (UW), the National Estuary Program (NEP), and the Trash Free Waters Program (TFW). These core programs are the facilitators of many successful water program partnerships that are led by states and localities. This catalytic role has strong support from state and local governments, the business community, citizen groups, and many others. There is broad public recognition that collaborative planning and program development through partnership programs can foster innovation, reduce adversarial barriers, and achieve beneficial and measurable outcomes.

Project research will primarily address substantive issues related to the Trash Free Waters Program (TFW), though some research may also address issues related to the Urban Waters (UW) program and/or the National Estuary Program (NEP). Research and analysis will focus on technical, policy, communications, and measurement issues related to these programs. Specific research topics will focus primarily on the use of collaborative partnership approaches to achieve EPA’s clean water goals, with a particular emphasis on the integration of partnership programs to improve water quality and ecosystem health, ensure water equity among all communities, and address major water resource management challenges in specific geographic locations across the U.S. 

With guidance and support from the mentor, plus office managers and staff members, the participant will learn about a wide range of issues related to EPA's water programs. The participant also will have ample opportunity for participatory learning about the use of geographically-based and issues based collaborative partnership programs that play critical roles in support of the Agency's mission to protect and restore the nation's water resources. The participant will be involved in research that enhances their analytical, communication, and strategic planning skills, addressing technical, policy, and programmatic issues on a daily basis. The participant will engage with a wide range of government and non-governmental stakeholders, gaining valuable and diverse perspectives and developing valuable skill sets for collaborative problem solving.

We welcome applicants with a passion for the types of issues we address in the core partnership programs of this Branch, including the value of collaborative, public/private partnership approaches to environmental protection as an essential complement to EPA's regulatory programs. We welcome applicants with a passion to understand water resource management issues in a multi-dimensional and holistic way, with an interest in analyzing how the work of multiple stakeholders in many different programs can be better integrated to achieve water resource protection outcomes more effectively.

The mentor for this opportunity is Robert Benson (benson.robert@epa.gov).

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.

Preferred skills:

If you have questions, send an email to EPArpp@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity (EPA-OW-OWOW-2020-0001) in your email.