Post-doctoral Research Opportunity in Bioinformatics: US Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division
Brief description of research project: Provisioning of clean water for drinking and for support of aquatic ecosystems is one of the most tangible yet under-appreciated ecosystem services. This project will use national datasets of watershed characteristics to develop and demonstrate a set of user-friendly tools to allow researchers to address questions about surface water and drinking water quality across the contiguous US. StreamCat is a publicly available dataset of landscape characteristics for 2.6 million stream catchments in the US (www2.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/streamcat); a similar database is in development for US lakes (LakeCat). The utility of the StreamCat tools would be demonstrated through a case study using EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) database, examining the occurrence, causes and effects of drinking water violations during the last 30 years in the US. Other demonstrations of the databases would be explored as well. The selectee will help assemble the drinking water databases together with modeling, analytical, and graphical tools that could be used by researchers to generate various products from these national watershed characteristics datasets. The successful candidate would interact with other scientists studying nutrient loading, water quality benefits and human health within EPA’s national research programs. Geographical location of position: Corvallis, OR Research area: Bioinformatics Scientific project area: This interdisciplinary effort combines bioinformatics approaches to compile, analyze and share complex databases on landscape characteristics, pollutant loads and sources, and water quality. Educational requirements: Ph.D. in environmental science or engineering field or a related discipline Specialized training and/or experience preferred: Strong background in geographic information systems and database development and management is preferred, along with programming skills with an emphasis on data visualization and web applications. Experience in interdisciplinary or trans-disciplinary settings preferred. Knowledge of watersheds and aquatic systems such as aquatic ecology, ecohydrology, watershed hydrology or experience in watershed or statistical modeling and spatial analyses at broad spatial scales is desired. Experience with the use of aquatic monitoring data and GIS analyses is also preferred. Projected duration of appointment: 3 years Paid relocation to EPA work location: Yes Application Period Open Date: Dec 16, 2015 Application Period Close Date: Jan 29, 2016 Project number: AD-WED-12-16-2015-04 Scientific contact/Principal Investigator(s): Scott Leibowitz, [email protected], (541)754-4508 Jana Compton, [email protected], (541)754-4620
