EPA Fellowship on Developing an Oceanographic Climate Monitoring Station in a West Coast Estuary

*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis and this posting could close before the deadline. Click here for information about the selection process.

EPA Office/Lab and Location: A research training opportunity is available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA), Pacific Ecological Systems Division (PESD) in Newport, Oregon. The research participant will have the opportunity to collaborate with a team of EPA and external researchers conducting coastal acidification and hypoxia research and developing a climate-quality oceanographic monitoring station in Yaquina Bay, Oregon. 

Research Project: The research participant will have the opportunity to conduct research to characterize coastal acidification and hypoxia dynamics using a variety of autonomous water quality monitoring sensors and assist in the development of a monitoring station at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR.  

Under the guidance of a mentor, research activities may include:

• Outreach and collaboration with EPA, Oregon State University, and other coastal acidification researchers.
• Operation, maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting, and development of oceanographic sensors designed to characterize ocean acidification and hypoxia dynamics in Yaquina Bay, Oregon.
• Organization of water quality datasets relevant for ocean acidification and hypoxia research (e.g. pH, CO2, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, pressure).
• Analysis of water quality datasets to characterize ocean acidification and hypoxia dynamics and drivers.
• Analysis of water quality samples for total alkalinity.
• Utilizing software programs for data organization and analysis (e.g. R, Matlab, Python, and similar).
• Presentation of research results at scientific conferences and research symposiums.
• Peer-reviewed manuscript preparation, writing, editing, and publication.

Learning Objectives: The research participant will have the opportunity to gain knowledge by collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of EPA and external researchers.  The research participant will gain experience operating in a collaborative science project, gathering and synthesizing novel datasets, preparing presentations and scientific papers, climate change research, and scientific communication with stakeholders. The research participant is encouraged to collaborate on writing of manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications and developing presentations for the project.

Mentor(s): The mentors for this project are Stephen Pacella (pacella.stephen@epa.gov), Matthew Harwell (harwell.matthew@epa.gov), and Cheryl Brown (brown.cheryl@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: October 2, 2023.  All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors. Click here for detailed information about start dates.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year and may be renewed upon EPA recommendation and subject to availability of funding.

Level of Participation: The appointment is part-time, 10 hours per week.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Click here for detailed information about full-time stipends.

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: Please see the FAQ section of our website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.EPA.ORD@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 one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.  

Preferred skills/experience:

• Experience in the fields of marine and/or estuarine ecology, oceanography, biogeochemistry, environmental science, climate science, data science, and other similar and relevant fields.
• Experience with research on ocean acidification and hypoxia, is preferred but not required.
• Experience with organization of large datasets, data quality assurance procedures, water quality instrumentation, data analysis, technical/statistical software packages (e.g. R, GIS, Python, Matlab), and their application to environmental science research is preferred but not required.