Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Communities Research at EPA

Zintellect is seeking two part-time Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Communities Researchers for the EPA in Corvallis, OR. The role involves extracting and analyzing data related to ecosystem services, collaborating with ecologists and economists, and assisting in metric identification for national and regional scales. Responsibilities include participating in a multi-disciplinary team, documenting development efforts, and potentially presenting findings at scientific conferences. The position supports the EPA's mission to enhance environmental research and decision-making.
The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has immediate openings for two part-time (20 hours per week) Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Communities Researchers with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Corvallis, Oregon.

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports high-quality research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and helps EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

The National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) conducts systems-based effects research needed to achieve sustainable health and well-being. The Western Ecology Division (WED) is one of four ecological effects divisions of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. WED's mission is: 1) to provide EPA with national scientific leadership for terrestrial and regional-scale ecology 2) to develop the scientific basis for assessing the condition of aquatic resources and their response to natural and anthropogenic stresses. One of the activities at WED, housed within the Freshwater Ecology Branch, is to implement the strategy for research in the Ecosystem Services Project (Project 2.61 under the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program). The task that this work would support is the Final Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS) Task (SHC Task 2.61.2).

The purpose of this task is to identify and quantify metrics and indicators of FEGS at national and regional scales. FEGS are biophysical features that matter directly to people in each of the diverse ways they can benefit from ecosystems. Some of the data to represent FEGS is available from national surveys of aquatic ecosystems, agricultural habitats and forests or from extensive data sets available as GIS layers.

The selected candidates working under this agreement shall, under the direction of diverse experts involved in the project:
• Extract necessary data from those surveys or extensive GIS layers;
• Identify other sources of data and extract data from them for the desired metrics at national, regional or state scales;
• Work with a team of ecologists and economists to create data bases of FEGS metrics;
• Summarize and represent the data in collaboration with ecologists based not only in Corvallis, but also in other locations including Gulf Breeze, FL; Duluth, MN; Ada, OK; Narragansett, RI; RTP, NC and possibly other locations in the United States and with social scientists located around the country;
• Acquire and interpret a wide range of social science, business and engineering literature and research that could inform the specification of metrics and the manner in they should be represented; and
• Assist in coordinating the efforts of ecosystem specialists in identifying metrics of FEGS.

Communications related responsibilities will include:
• Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team;
• Interacting with other members of the development team as well as EPA scientists; and
• Documenting code and database development efforts.

Selected candidates may be asked to present work performed at a scientific conference as a poster or in an oral presentation.

Location: This job will be located at EPA’s facility in Corvallis, Oregon.

Salary: Selected applicants will become temporary employees of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $32.87 for hours worked.

Hours: Part-time; 20 hours per week.

Working Conditions: The selected candidates shall be supervised by a mentor who will provide day-to-day direction, as well as coach, advise, and counsel them, and review their work. The mentor for this position will be a federal EPA employee.

This position will involve work in an administrative setting and is not expected to involve exposure to hazardous elements or outdoor field research.

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required. In addition, it is possible that travel will be required to attend workshops, professional meetings, and Divisions other than WED for intensive working sessions that may last a week or two.

Government Vehicles: Use of government vehicles by selected candidates is not anticipated.

Expected Start Date: These positions are part time (20 hours per week) and expected to begin in July 2017. The selected candidates will be temporary employees of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The initial contract period is through May 14, 2018. EPA may elect to renew the contract for an additional two (2) 12-month optional periods.

For more information, contact EPAjobs@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly.