This job has Expired
EPA Fellowship on Pathogens and Pyroaerophiles: Does Wildfire Smoke Spread Disease Agents?
Job Description
- Agency
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Location
- Corvallis, Oregon
- Job Category
- Fellowships & Scholarships
- Salary
- TBD
- Last Date to Apply
- 10/13/2023
- Website
- https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/EPA-ORD-CPHEA-PESD-2023-06
- Description
- *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 available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA), Pacific Ecological Systems Division (PESD) in Corvallis, Oregon. Research Project: Large-scale wildfires in the western USA, are increasing in both size and frequency, with substantial health consequences. Wildland fire plumes have potential to move microorganisms over great distances and are a likely mechanism to transport organisms to new environments. Recently, EPA scientists have demonstrated that wildfire smoke can have ten times the numbers of viable microorganisms than are present in ambient air, however, the capacity for wildfire smoke to displace microbes and cause clinically significant fungal infections is poorly understood. Concurrent with increasingly prevalent wildfires, increasing incidences of diseases like coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) have been recorded in Western states, suggesting a potential association between invasive fungal infections and wildfires. This research project focuses on exploring the extent to which pathogenic fungi and bacteria are transported in wildfire smoke. Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, research activities may include: Operating a state-of-the-art mobile air monitoring laboratory with advanced instrumentation. Gathering data and assessing analytical chemistry of wildfire smoke measurements. Conducting data analysis, manuscript preparation and literature searches. Conducting research in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of EPA scientists. Developing knowledge and skills in designing, conducting, analyzing, and synthesizing research for communication to the broader scientific audience. Developing skills in presenting research findings at scientific society conferences and interacting with a broad group of scientists at the EPA and elsewhere. Mentor(s): The mentor for this project is James Markwiese (markwiese.james@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s). Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 1, 2023. 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. 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 (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry), or be currently pursuing the degree with completion before August 1, 2023. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date. Preferred skills: Strong background in Biology, Chemistry, or Biochemistry Strong knowledge of chemical analytical techniques. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Demonstrated skills in environmental metrology for the various air quality parameters we will be collecting, including instrumentation for EPA's priority pollutants. This laboratory measures criteria air pollutants using federal equivalent and reference methods, meteorological parameters, CO2, the chemical composition of non-refractory PM2.5, particulate matter size distribution from 10 nm to 20 µm, volatile organic compounds, particulate bound metals, black carbon, and the vertical distribution of particulate matter. Additionally, the mobile lab will host lower-cost air sensors, which will allow researchers to examine performance under elevated wildfire smoke conditions. A high-volume PM sampler will collect PM samples for offline chemical analysis and aerosolized pathogens. For this microbiology, microbes and spores (including potential pathogens such as Coccidioides sp.) captured on filters during smoke sampling will be identified by at the CPHEA-PESD molecular labs. Genomic DNA will be extracted and evaluated for microorganisms present, pre fire and post fire and assessed for quality control and diversity analyses though visualizations and statistical analyses of amplicon sequencing data.
- Contact Person
- ORISE.EPA.ORD@orau.org
Bookmark the permalink .
*Please mention you saw this ad on AcademicJobs.*
