UAS Technical Operations Support

The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full time UAS Technical Operations Support 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 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 and engineers in EPA laboratories, field sites, and at universities across the country. 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
• 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 design, development, and testing including hardware and software; sampling study design; field measurements; post-processing data analysis of emission, meteorological, and camera data; and quality control of measurements.

How you will apply your skills

Environmental Sampling Instrumentation Design, Development, and Testing responsibilities will include:

• Development of hardware and software for environmental sampling using instrumentation aboard UAS including environmental sampling (e.g., emissions, water), aerial photography and videography, and meteorology.
• Design, construction, and testing of electronic hardware for data storage and transfer from the UAS via telemetry and wired interface.
• Design, construction, and testing of pump and sensor control circuitry
• Sampling data analysis
• Quality control of environmental data
• Literature reviews.

UAS- based Sampling Design and Analysis; responsibilities will include:

• Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team
• Interacting with other members of the aerial sampling team, other EPA scientists, and other federal, state, and university collaborators
• Presenting work performed at a scientific conference as required
• Contributing to authorship of scientific papers
• Development of software for analysis of data.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

• Demonstrated experience in electronics design and control of pump systems, sensors, and data transfer both via telemetry and hardwire for small, lightweight systems;
• Strong written, oral, and electronic communication skills;
• Experience programming in Python, R, or other scripting languages; and
• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel.

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 $32.01 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 December 2024. The selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA.

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 engineering, physical sciences, electronics, or a closely 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.