EPA Research Opportunity with the EPA’s Water Data Integration Branch

*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 currently available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water (OW). The appointment will be served in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW), Water Data Integration Branch (WDIB) located in Washington D.C., EPA Headquarters.

Research Project: The Water Data Integration Branch strategizes to integrate water quality information to better enable science-based water resource decisions in support of water program goals related to nutrients, non-point sources, national surveys, and assessed and impaired waters. The goal of the project is to increase the utility of water quality data by exploring ways to improve access to and analysis of water quality information by following findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR) data principles. This may include collaboration and research on open-source technology data tools, emerging data interoperability efforts such as the Internet of Water, and other Office of Water data. 

Learning Objectives: 

• Learn about the Clean Water Act (CWA)
• Apply CWA knowledge to inform information technology and data science solutions.
• Gain experience working with CWA implementing Agencies (states, territories, tribes, and nations)
• Increase technical skills of interest (e.g., R coding, GIS, SQL)
• Gain understanding of government environmental operations.

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

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Cristina Mullin (mullin.cristina@epa.gov. If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Appointment Length: The appointment initially may be for one year and may be renewed 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.  FY 23 - Bachelor’s ~$53,105; Master’s ~$64,957; PhD ~$78,592. 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.OW@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.