EPA Fellowship for Environmental Economics Research
EPA Office/Lab and Location: An environmental economics research training opportunity is available at the US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Environmental Measurement & Modeling (CEMM), Watershed & Ecosystem Characterization Division (WECD) located in Cincinnati, OH.
Research Project: Under the mentor-ship of WECD Economist, the research participant will have an opportunity to collaborate on a research project related to evaluation of economic impact of cleanup, remediation and revitalization of contaminated sites such as brownfields, Superfund sites, Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST), and Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Research activities may include:
- Analyzing economic benefit surrounding community might realize from contaminated site remediation and redevelopment using non-market valuation methods (revealed preference approaches such as hedonic pricing). In addition, the impacts on undeserved communities may be analyzed, including impacts on employment, income, and poverty.
- Evaluating the negative economic impacts of contaminated brownfields and superfund sites, identifying the economic benefits of site cleanup/remediation, and the impact of brownfields/superfund sites redevelopment, in selected communities so as to assist in analyzing benefit-cost of investments in cleanups.
Potential research sites are selected urban communities in Region 4, and communities in Great Lakes Areas of Concerns.
Learning Objectives: Through this research, the research participant will have an opportunity to apply their knowledge in non-market valuation modeling and techniques, econometric modeling and spatial data analysis. The participant will have an opportunity to evaluate EPA's cleanup and enforcement program. The participant will gain experience in analyzing the economic impact of cleanups and redevelopment including econometric design and analysis, hedonic modelling, GIS applications, and preparation of manuscripts for publication. The research participant will have opportunities to collaborate and interact with EPA staff and team of EPA economists, and other multidisciplinary scientists in ORD, Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) and Regional partners. The research participant will have opportunities to communicate her/his finding through publication of manuscripts and participating in scientific conferences.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Bayou Demeke (Demeke.Bayou@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: October 31, 2022. All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors. Click ere for detailed information about start dates.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year and may be renewed upon EPA recommendation and subject to availability of funding.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Click here for detailed information about full-time stipends.
EPA Security Clearance: Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at EPA.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and EPA. Participants do not become employees of EPA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. 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).
The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).
Questions: Please see the FAQ section of our website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.EPA.ORD@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Environmental Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics, Natural Resource Economics, Economics, Applied Econometrics, Data Science), or be currently pursuing a doctoral degree. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.
Preferred skills:
- Knowledge of non-market valuation methods such as Hedonic Pricing and other revealed preference methods is
- Strong background in statistical/econometric modeling techniques, spatial data analysis
- Familiarity with Geographic Information Systems
- Familiarity with popular data analysis software such as R, STATA
- Excellent writing and communication skills