EPA Quantitative Bioassay Development for Aquatic Vertebrates

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education administers a full-time research opportunity at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The participant will develop quantitative bioassays for thyroid hormone synthesis in aquatic vertebrates, analyze chemical effects using laboratory and computational methods, and contribute to scientific communication and research publications.

What you'll do:

• Learn how analytical methods are developed and applied to quantify biomolecules, such as thyroid hormones and proteins, in biological tissues collected from aquatic organisms using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques
• Gain experience exploring alternative high-throughput detection strategies for measuring biomolecules in biological tissues
• Develop knowledge of data quality assurance and quality control practices used in laboratory and computational research settings
• Learn how chemoinformatic and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) approaches are used to examine relationships between chemical structure and biological effects
• Process and analyze large, high-content data sets using established and emerging computational analysis pipelines
• Build skills in analyzing experimental data and preparing tables, figures, visual summaries, and other materials used to communicate scientific findings
• Apply statistical analysis approaches such as hypothesis testing, regression methods, multivariate statistics, and concordance analyses to support interpretation of research results
• Strengthen scientific communication skills through opportunities to present research findings at scientific meetings and contribute to written reports and peer-reviewed journal articles

What they're looking for:

• The qualified candidate should have received or be currently pursuing a master's or bachelor's degree in one of the relevant fields (chemistry with a focus in a sub-discipline such as analytical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, etc)
• Candidates with a bachelors in chemistry or biochemistry may be considered if they can demonstrate strong mathematical and computational skills
• This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) only
• Familiarity and/or experience with analytical instrumentation, particularly LC-MS/MS
• Previous experience with statistical data analysis (e.g. R-based statistics)
• Experience conducting in vitro and in vivo bioassays
• Coursework in statistics, chemoinformatics, quantitative chemistry, and/or instrumental analysis, basic coursework in biology
• Previous research experience, beyond lab-oriented coursework alone
• Familiarity with literature search tools and strategies
• Previous experience with science communication to a diversity of technical and non-technical audiences
• Previous experience writing peer reviewed journal articles
• Previous experience working with aquatic organisms such as fish or amphibians

Benefits:

• 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).
• Opportunities to present research findings at scientific meetings and contribute to written reports and peer-reviewed journal articles.
• Hands-on participation and mentorship in laboratory, analytical, and computational techniques.
• Opportunities to learn from and interact with internationally recognized scientific leaders within EPA and across external research organizations and institutions.