EPA Air Pollution Toxicology Assessment Fellowship

Application Deadline

7/31/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis and this posting could close before the deadline. 

EPA Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), located in Durham, North Carolina.

The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA works to ensure that: Americans have clean air, land and water; National efforts to reduce environmental risks are based on the best available scientific information; Federal laws protecting human health and the environment are administered and enforced fairly, effectively and as Congress intended; Environmental stewardship is integral to U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy; All parts of society have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks; Contaminated lands and toxic sites are cleaned up; and chemicals in the marketplace are reviewed for safety.

IASD provides expert evaluation and analysis of health, environmental, and economic impacts of air pollution to inform national regulations. The division leads reviews of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and conducts quantitative assessments of exposure and risk for air pollutants. IASD is responsible for scientific assessment activities related to the health effects of air pollutants within the Integrated Science Assessments (ISAs). The ISAs provide the scientific foundation for EPA regulatory decisions on the NAAQS.

Research Project: This opportunity is suited for a fellow who is seeking an opportunity to learn about high-impact policy-relevant scientific assessments and research in support of the EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. The participant may be engaged in one or more of the following training opportunities:

• Applying systematic review methods to air pollution toxicology data, including development and application of literature search and screening strategies, study evaluation, synthesis of health effects evidence within (e.g., toxicology) and across (e.g., epidemiology, controlled human exposure studies, mechanistic information) lines of evidence for biological plausibility and causality determinations to inform scientific assessments and environmental policy development.
• Developing and applying the skills needed to prepare ISAs. These may include participation as a section coauthor, i.e., reviewing and analyzing toxicological data to conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments of health effects associated with exposure to criteria air pollutants such as ozone or particulate matter.
• Devising scientific approaches for science-based assessment process and interacting with EPA scientists to improve assessment methodologies.
• Identifying and researching cross-cutting scientific challenges that arise in EPA assessments, rule-makings, and policy development, such as application of methodologies and procedures for calculations.
• Evaluating study quality for toxicology studies and identifying studies and effects for use in human health assessment.
• Summarizing and extracting toxicological study information, and evaluation of concentration- or exposure-response relationships from data.
• Being a part of scientific assessments (e.g., white papers, protocols, analyses)
• Conducting independent toxicological research projects, while receiving guidance from the EPA mentor, with the potential opportunity to author peer-reviewed publications, reports, or develop conference presentations.
• Synthesizing technical and policy information for presentation to the EPA managers and appropriate stakeholder groups.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of the mentor, the selected participant will have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of projects that can include qualitative or quantitative analyses of toxicological study findings and data. In particular, the selected participant will learn approaches for the evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of toxicological evidence on the health effects of environmental pollutant exposures that inform EPA scientific assessments. The participant will also gain an understanding of how scientific evidence is used to develop and inform EPA program priorities, rule-making, and decision-making processes.

The selected participant will observe, collaborate with, and gain knowledge from staff in IASD, and potentially from other EPA Offices. The research participant will have opportunities to conduct quantitative or qualitative analyses that will contribute to EPA scientific assessments, briefings for stakeholders, and potentially result in conference presentations or peer-reviewed publications. Through this process the participant will learn about the EPA’s process for science and policy assessments and federal rule-making, as well as gain experience with a broad range of environmental policy, programs, and related issues, including how domestic regulation under the Clean Air Act, state laws, and international and domestic policy are used to protect public health.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Laura Carlson (carlson.laura@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 1, 2026. All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year and may be renewed three to four additional years 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. The anticipated stipend range is $64,453 - $85,447 annually.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

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. If you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.EPA.Other@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields.

Preferred skills:

• Relevant coursework, experience, and a strong interest in toxicology, preferably in ambient air pollution, inhalation toxicology, and environmental health
• Evaluation and synthesis of information from published literature
• Experience with in vivo mammalian models, especially through the inhalation route of exposure
• Superior writing skills and effective communication of scientific information for technical and non-technical audiences
• Enjoys researching independently and has a strong interest in learning from and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams (e.g., atmospheric, health, epidemiology, ecology, economic sciences)

Stipend

$64,453.00 – $85,447.00 Yearly

Point of Contact

Ashley

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree.
• Minimum Overall GPA: 3.00