Careers

Description:

A research opportunity is available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA), Public Health & Integrated Toxicology Division (PHITD) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. 

Research Project: Research at ORD/CPHEA/PHITD/NETB is focused on providing a scientific foundation to identify hazardous chemicals, assessing their potential risk and safeguard both public health and the environment.  More specifically, we are interested in protecting both women and children’s health with a focus on developmental neurotoxicology. Our research uses molecular and immunocytochemistry techniques to identify biomarkers of environmental chemical exposures (high priority emerging chemicals including perfluorinated substances (PFAS), endocrine disrupting chemicals, etc). 

• Design, plan, and conduct experiments. These experiments may involve in vivo and in vitro models to evaluate the effects of environmental chemicals on brain development and blood-brain barrier function.
• Analyze biological data, including data generated from next-generation technologies like RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) and high-throughput assays. This may also include quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analyses if the candidate has interest. 
• Acquire specialized training in molecular biology and immunocytochemistry. 
• Acquire training on imaging techniques such as light and confocal microscopy.
• Maintain data management/statistics in the area of toxicology.
• Maintain quality assurance documents, standard operating procedures, and records management procedures.  

Skills/Eligibility:

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in one of the relevant fields or be currently pursuing. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.  

• Interest in cell and molecular biology, including genomic/transcriptomic technologies and computational toxicology.
• Preferred knowledge of designing and executing experimental research in a computational and/or laboratory setting; toxicology research is a plus.
• Coursework and/or experience performing statistics and bioinformatics is highly desirable.
• Knowledge or experience in programming languages like R is highly desirable.
• Skill with data analyses and data visualization for publications and/or presentations.
• Preferred experience with cell culture, biochemical assays, or immunocytochemistry.
• Willingness to handle animals (specifically rodents) is preferred. Dosing, sample collection, and necropsy experience is a plus.
• Experience with literature reviews and reference management (i.e., EndNote).
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook).
• Skill with written and oral communication.