EPA Human Health Environmental Exposures Fellowship

*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 opportunity is available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Public Health Environmental Assessment (CPHEA), Public Health and Environmental Systems Division (PHESD) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

Research Project: The research project will utilize human subjects' data and publicly available health databases to investigate the human health effects of air and water pollutants and other environmental exposures.

The research participant will have the opportunity to be involved in statistical analyses to evaluate associations between environmental exposures and human health effects. Under the guidance of a mentor, research activities may include:  

• Identifying sources of environmental exposure data.
• Developing exposure and effect metrics and indicators of environmentally associated health effects.
• Cleaning and preparing large data sets for analysis.
• Conducting data analyses, documenting statistical code, and interpretation of results. 
• Conducting and documenting quality assurance and review of data analyses and databases.
• Organizing results of analyses and contributing to manuscripts and journal articles.
• Preparing presentations, graphics and summaries of the data.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the research participant will have the opportunity to:

Conduct research utilizing human health and human subjects' data and receiving training in the ethical issues surrounding the use of these data.

The research participant will manage data sets; expand their knowledge of the range of epidemiologic methods and statistical approaches for data analysis and mathematical modeling.

The research participant will be mentored in methods of data management, interpretation, presentation, and organization, and in methods to communicate scientific findings in a clear and concise manner.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Elizabeth Hilborn (hilborn.e@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August/September 2024. 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 full-time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. A travel/training allowance will be provided to the candidate to present project-related research data and results at scientific meetings (e.g., conferences and workshops). 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 have received a master's degree in one of the relevant fields or be currently pursuing with degree completion before the appointment start date. 

Preferred skills/experience:

Experience using statistical software (e.g. SAS, R) to independently conduct statistical analyses and to build models.

Experience with large data sets.

Experience extracting, managing, and curating data.

Experience summarizing and presenting quantitative analyses.

Experience with environmental data including remotely sensed imagery, meteorological measures, water and air contaminants is preferred, but not required.

Experience with analyzing human administrative health data is preferred but not required.

Experience with the geographic information system data and knowledge of ArcGIS is preferred but not required.

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
• Academic Level(s): Post-Master's.