Toxicokinetic Support Scientist

The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full time Toxicokinetic Support Scientist 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 Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE) supports EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by developing and applying innovative methods that incorporate toxicity and exposure information to support regulatory decision-making, in particular risk-based prioritization. Efforts in the Experimental Toxicokinetics and Toxicodynamics Branch within CCTE’s Chemical Characterization and Exposure Division focus on developing tools that can be used to estimate chemical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties, or chemical toxicokinetics. This information is used to inform what internal doses may result following an exposure, which is a critical linkage needed to combine hazard and exposure information to assign risk in a chemical evaluation.

As a team member, you will provide laboratory support to the in vitro kinetics and modeling (IVKM) group in the Experimental Toxicokinetics and Toxicodynamics Branch. The team member will work with other members of the lab and ORD collaborators to generate chemical toxicokinetic data that will be used in high-throughput toxicokinetic (HTTK) modeling, a critical tool in chemical safety efforts that may be used in conjunction with high-throughput screening (HTS) data to inform chemical safety assessments and regulatory decision-making.

IVKM laboratory support will include:

• Maintaining laboratory instrumentation and supporting documentation;
• Preparing buffers and reagents for laboratory usage; tracking supplies;
• Conducting biochemical and toxicokinetic assays;
• Assisting in and/or performing the preparation of curves, standards, and samples for MS analysis;
• Assisting in and/or performing method development to support analytical chemistry measurements using mass spectrometry instrumentation (MS);
• Maintaining cells and conducting cell culture experiments using aseptic technique;
• Performing literature searches in support of IVKM research efforts; and
• Collating and performing data analysis of data generated in IVKM laboratory. Maintaining laboratory inventories of samples, reagents and cells.

Communications-related responsibilities will include:

• Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team;
• Documenting laboratory effort and research in appropriate notebooks and/or files/folders;
• Collaborating with other members of the lab as well as EPA scientists; and
• Presenting work performed at a lab or other internal meeting as required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of general laboratory procedures and techniques that include but are not limited to: standard curve preparation, pipetting and dilution preparation;
• Experience in culturing of human cells or cell lines (e.g., hepatocytes, intestinal cells) and/or in using aseptic technique;
• Experience in the use of analytical chemistry methodology;
• Strong organizational skills, including demonstrated ability to handle multiple assignments with competing deadlines; and
• Strong written, oral and electronic communication skills.

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 February 2025. 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 biology, toxicology, chemistry, pharmacology or a closely related field of study 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.