Environmental Research Associate
The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full-time contractor position; Environmental Research Associate with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Ada, OK.
Salary: $29.86 per hour.
Travel: Field travel may be required, including overnight.
Required Skills:
- A working knowledge of contaminant fate and transport processes in the subsurface (e.g., advection, dispersion, sorption, degradation, etc.);
- Experience with scientific and laboratory research methods (batch and column experimentation is particularly desirable);
- Experience in keeping and managing laboratory records;
- Proficient in the use of general laboratory procedures and techniques such as standard curve preparation, pipetting, and dilution preparation;
- Experience with searching scientific journals and other resources for technical information;
- Proficient with Microsoft Excel for managing, analyzing, and graphing data;
- Experience or education with MATLAB, R, or some other computer language;
- Proficient in oral and written communication in English;
- Demonstrated ability to work independently; and
- Physical ability to lift up to 40 pounds and tolerate hot/cold/wet field conditions during field trips for sample collection.
Desired Skills:
- Experience or education with PFAS;
- Experience or education in groundwater computer modeling; and
- Experience or education in the measurement of surface tension, interfacial tension, or contact angles.
Qualifications
- Be at least 18 years of age and
- Have earned at least a Master of Science degree in engineering, physics, chemistry, geology, soil science, environmental science, or a closely related scientific discipline from an accredited university or college within the last 24 and
- Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.
EPA ORD employees, their spouses, and children are not eligible to participate in this program.
What the EPA project is about
The Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER) plans, coordinates and conducts an applied, customer-driven, national research and development program to improve decision making by EPA, federal, state, tribal and local agencies, when faced with challenging environmental problems in the built environment. Within CESER, the Groundwater Characterization & Remediation Division (GCRD) plans, coordinates and conducts an applied, national-scale, customer-driven research program to provide data, tools, models, strategies, and technologies to protect and restore groundwater.
To support these activities, GCRD laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation for chemical characterization of ground water and surface water. The analytical function of the Division is critical to supporting the research and technical assistance mission of the laboratory. This project involves bench-top laboratory experiments to support research to protect water resources; review, organization, and analysis of literature data; support for collection of samples from one or more field research sites; and additional project support as needed.
This is an excellent opportunity for a recent Master’s graduate to collaborate with EPA’s research team. Research experience includes:
- Develop, manage, and maintain systems and databases to track lab and field scientific research
- Will receive hands-on lab and field research experience
- Develop graphs and presentation materials, prepare spreadsheets, charts, and narrative information, as well as science interpretation
- Networking and exploring many career paths at EPA.
Interested in this research opportunity? If so, follow the link below to apply. Questions? Email EPANSSC@ORAU.org