Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ariel Sampling Support

The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full time UAS Aerial Researcher position with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

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 help 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.

What the EPA project is about

The Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling (CEMM) conducts research to advance the Agency's ability to measure and model contaminants in the environment, including research to provide fundamental methods and models needed to implement environmental statutes. CEMM's research involves.

Occurrence, fate, and transport in the natural environment;
• Regulatory methods and models;
• Tools to inform and evaluate environmental management practices and policies;
• Environmental indicators;
• Sampling for environmental characterization; and
• Contaminants of emerging concern.

ORD has recently initiated use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS, drones) to support its mission for environmental measurements. This position will serve on this UAS aerial sampling team.

As a team member, you will provide instrumentation and software design, development, and testing for gas and particle measurement systems aboard UAS.

Hardware and Software Design for Environmental Sampling Instrumentation aboard UAS; responsibilities will include:

• Design, development, and testing of hardware systems for aerial environmental sampling of gases and particles from a UAS platform;
• Development, writing, and testing of control and display software for UAS measurement systems for emissions, pumps, and meteorology;
• Development of software for analysis of data;
• Quality control of environmental data;
• Creation of metadata and fact sheets supporting the data products; and
• Literature reviews.

UAS- based Field Sampling; responsibilities will include:

• Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team; and
• Interacting with other members of the aerial sampling team, other EPA scientists, and other federal, state, and university collaborators.

Preparation and presentation of data results; responsibilities include:

• Presenting work performed at a scientific conference as required; and
• Contributing to authorship of scientific papers.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

• Experience in developing, building, and testing environmental sensors and samplers;
• Strong written, oral, and electronic communication skills;
• Experience programming in Python, R, or other scripting languages; and
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Google Earth, and instrument operation software.

Location: This job will be located EPA's facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $31.38 for hours worked.

Hours: Full-time.

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Expected start date: The position is full time and expected to begin October 2023. The selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The contract renews each May through 2025.

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

• Be at least 18 years of age and
• Have earned at least a master's degree in the fields of geospatial science, geography, ecology, environmental science, engineering, physical sciences or a related field from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months and
• Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.

EPA ORD employees, their spouses, and children are not eligible to participate in this program.