The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has an immediate opening for a full-time GIS Data Management position with the EPA facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.
US. EPA Opportunity
The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Systems Exposure Division (SED), located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a scientific organization responsible for carrying out EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by developing and applying innovations in exposure science.
What the EPA project is about
Currently a research effort of high priority for ORD is identifying U.S. communities of highest risk of childhood exposures to lead (Pb) and understanding the key factors and relative contributions of exposure pathways from various media, such that targeted approaches for Pb risk reduction can be applied to improve public health.
•Where are the high Pb risk areas and greatest disparities of blood Pb levels in communities across the US, with a particular focus on children?
•For the most at-risk communities, what are the main drivers for Pb exposures?
•How do these Pb exposure drivers vary by community and population?
This project is also a priority under Goal 4 of the Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Pb Exposures and Associated Health Impacts (Federal Action Plan), released in December 2018 by the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. Ongoing activities related to ORD’s work in this area include connecting blood lead level (BLL) data with other established environmental and non-chemical stressors that impact Pb exposure and effects. Information needed to identify the most vulnerable populations and exposure scenarios include the following: communities and percent of populations disproportionally impacted by Pb industries and contaminated sites, old homes, lead service lines; and health-based endpoints (e.g., IQ loss) and associated exposure timing and dose data.
Furthermore, to support EPA and ORD’s role in the Federal Action Plan, a number of cross-EPA and cross-Agency coordination efforts are underway, including a Goal 4 workshop planned for December 2019. A key goal of these interactions is to identify research gaps and priorities and opportunities for collaboration. It is anticipated that areas will be identified for follow up where further technical discussions will be needed to solidify and move the research ahead as true Federal partners. These areas may include sharing data and best practices, comparing and contrasting different approaches, and generating plans for leveraging or establishing cross-Agency research studies.
What you will be doing
As a member of the team, you will assist the ORD NERL Pb research team with the research and administrative duties required to fulfill its commitments related to identifying and characterizing high Pb risk areas and their drivers of Pb exposure, and to support ORD’s involvement in the Federal Action Plan.
Required skills
•Experience with ArcGIS, Endnote, and online search engines.
•Demonstrated experience in the application of GIS and database management.
•Demonstrated experience in conducting literature searches and/or searches for publicly available data sets related to sociodemographic or environmental information.
•Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Access)
•Highly organized; experienced in administration support functions (i.e., recordkeeping, meeting organization) and managing records (electronic) and databases.
•Strong communication skills (i.e., written, oral, telephone etiquette, presentation abilities), including effective multi-media technical communications.
Desired skills
•Experience with SAS; and
•Experience involving the management of research programs is considered highly desirable.
How you will apply your skills
Research responsibilities include:
•Conduct searches of peer reviewed literature and other data sources that can inform vulnerability to Pb exposure. Some of these data include soil/dust ingestion rates for children, especially <1 year; water Pb concentration data in homes with lead service lines; data for Pb concentrations in food, water, soil, and dust media; nationally representative drinking water Pb concentration data; quantitative correlation values for Pb in soil, dust, drinking water, food; concentrations related to Pb in urban gardens; bioavailability data: up-to-date and representative for soil, dust, food, water; longitudinal activity pattern data, exposure and life-stage biomarker patterns.
•Mine data obtained from searches and incorporate into large databases that can be used to explore relationships between BLLs and possible risk factors to identify the critical exposure pathways for a given community or population.
•Use geographic information systems (GIS) to geocode and analyze all data obtained, such that it can be combined spatially to identify areas of high Pb risk areas where BLL are elevated for children.
•Data management activities and simple statistical analysis.
•Document methods and quality assurance/quality control procedures employed in a laboratory notebook.
•Draft written material (including text, tables and figures) to describe the methods and results of the scientific process undertaken to address key research questions related to Pb.
Management and Administrative responsibilities include:
•Assist in planning, executing, and following up on meetings associated with activities of the ORD NERL Pb research team. This may include planning meetings, organizing and running technical webinars and workshops, and notetaking to capture key discussion points and follow up items.
•Gather information and develop tables, spreadsheets, presentations, and graphics in response to needs of the ORD NERL Pb research team.
•Assist the mentor in addressing a wide variety of ORD NERL Pb research team needs using expertise and ability to collaborate with colleagues and other researchers in a professional environment.
•Establish and maintain a variety of electronic files, correspondence and tracking systems.
Communications-related responsibilities include:
•Assist in responding to high priority requests of various nature that require short turn-around times and attention to detail.
•Work with ORD NERL Pb research team to gather information when required, perform a variety of analyses using computer programs, and communicate results clearly to managers and staff, and follow-up as necessary.
•Become familiar with laboratory audio/visual systems used for meetings and communication and provide support as necessary to ensure seamless meeting operation.
•Attend meetings, provide requested feedback on data calls, and communication with the ORD NERL Pb research team.
Q
Location: This job will be located at EPA’s facility in Raleigh-Durham, NC.
Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $28.99 for hours worked.
Hours: Full-time
Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.
Expected start date: The position is full and expected to begin June 2019. The selected applicant will be a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The initial contract period is through May 14, 2020, with potential optional periods to follow.
Working conditions: This position will involve work in an office setting and is not expected to involve exposure to hazardous elements.
Questions: EPAjobs@orau.org Do not contact EPA directly.
Program Information: www.orau.org/epa