Anna Feerick

Application Deadline: 11/8/2024 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Reference Code: EPA-ORD-CEMM-ACESD-2024-01

Research Project: Non-targeted analysis (NTA) has been increasingly used in recent years to elucidate structures of novel per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), however, the majority of PFAS NTA studies have applied this technology in water or soil matrices. NTA in biota is complicated by the presence of endogenous chemicals that may interfere with identification of environmental contaminants like PFAS. NTA workflows in biota need to be further developed, tested, and applied in order to be widely adopted and used in decision making.

The goal of the research project is to apply PFAS NTA techniques in biological samples of interest to state and regional partners to identify chemicals of interest and produce data processing workflows optimized for PFAS NTA in biota. 

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the research activities will include, but not limited to:

• Exploring the usefulness of sample preparation and clean-up on PFAS identification in biological samples.
• Exploring and mastering software workflows used for PFAS NTA (e.g., Compound Discoverer, FluoroMatch, patRoon, etc.).
• Writing QA/QC procedures and documents and writing programming code (R or other) for processing data output.

Applications of derived workflows will include identification of novel PFAS in biological samples originating near manufacturing facilities and from ambient offshore marine environments to test applicability of workflows across a range of exposure scenarios. 

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Anna Robuck (robuck.anna@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 3, 2024.  All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors. Click here 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: This 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.

EPA Office/Lab and Location: A research training opportunity is available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling (CEMM), Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division (ACESD) located in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

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 EPArpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

See the application page for Qualifications and Application information

Claros Technologies is a venture backed, deep-tech company solving the worldwide challenge of destroying PFAS in the environment. PFAS remediation is rapidly becoming a multi-billion-dollar, global market and is at the center of regulatory action in the US, Europe and Asia that requires the removal of this carcinogen from drinking water, industrial processes and waste sites. Claros has developed a patented, scalable destruction technology proven to fully destroy 99.99% of PFAS in customers’ samples.   

We are a diverse team of scientists, business-builders, and impact leaders committed to solving problems without creating new ones. The company has just closed a $20M financing round with leading environment venture capital firms, which provides the credibility and resources required to convert current pilot users into full scale commercial customers as well as to sell easy-to-identify prospects across the globe.   

If you are a mission driven, highly motivated analytical scientist, join us as we solve one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time.  

Position Summary: Claros Technologies is primarily focused on the research, development, scale-up, and commercialization of its PFAS destruction technology. We are seeking a collaborative, driven individual to join our Analytical Services Team as a Senior Scientist. The Senior Scientist will drive the research and development of analytical methods to support both internal and external customers of the Analytical Services Team. Reporting to the Director of Analytical Laboratory Services, this individual will be tasked with operating advanced analytical instruments independently, conducting critical research and analysis of data derived from the instruments, and acting as a subject matter expert to the team. 

Essential Job Functions:

• Operate and maintain the IMS-HRMS instrument
• Develop analytical methods and run samples to support Claros research and development
• Engage and contribute in Claros’ analytical team technical discussions
• Train and education other technical members
• Maintain a clear record of experimental details and perform data analysis, including statistical analysis
• Follow all lab operations and safety protocols

Competencies & Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Thorough understanding of the fundamentals of HRMS, LC, GC, and IMS
• Organized, Flexible, and Quality-focused
• Experience with extractable and leachable application strongly preferred
• Experience with PFAS preferred

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, analytics, or a related field with at least 5 years of HRMS experience, or
• Master’s degree in related field with at least 2 years of HRMS experience, or
• PhD. in a related field with some direct HRMS experience

Job Specifications:

• Salary: $80,000.00 – $100,000.00 per year
• Schedule: 8 hour shift
• Ability to commute/relocate: Minneapolis, MN 55413: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
• Work Location: In person

Claros Technologies offers attractive salary and benefits including health, vision, and dental insurance, PTO as well as 401k plans and options.

For more information, please visit www.clarostech.com, or access the job posting here.

Application Deadline: 9/13/2024 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Reference Code: EPA-ORD-CESER-BIL-2024-03

Research Project: Consumption of contaminated drinking water is one of the most common routes of human exposure to environmental pollutants. As a result, evaluating the effective removal and/or degradation of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) – which include perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), pesticides, cyanobacterial toxins – in water treatment processes is of great interest to the EPA. In practice, this entails interest in monitoring for disappearance of known CECs, potential formation of new transformation by-products, or identification of novel contaminants which are not being removed through treatment processes. This is a challenge for targeted analytical workflows, because while monitoring for disappearance of known contaminants is straightforward, identifying either unknown contaminants or formation of novel by-products is not feasible. The use of non-targeted chemical analysis (NTA) enabled by high resolution mass spectrometric (HRMS) instrumentation is an ideal tool for this application, as it collects data without a need for specific standards or structural knowledge in advance. For PFAS characterization, in addition to NTA, other analytical techniques include targeted analysis, suspect screening, and novel methodologies such as the total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay and total organofluorine (TOF). The research participant will be part of a team within EPA and one or more drinking water utilities aimed at using non-targeted analysis to evaluate the effect of various drinking water treatment processes on the removal and/or transformation of PFAS and other CECs.

Under the guidance of the mentor, research activities may include:

• Computer programming (Python and/or R) to develop tools for data processing and analysis.
• Data interpretation from the application of existing analytical methods for non-targeted analysis of environmentally relevant samples using mass spectrometry.

Learning Objectives: A variety of skills will be developed and used in the pursuit of the overall research objectives in this project. Because of the complexity of non-targeted data, identification of chemical features of interest in analytical outputs is extremely complex and predicated on the use of a wide range of tools, including predictive models, machine learning techniques, statistical analysis, and fragmentation analysis to better characterize species being identified. There will also be opportunities to explore the use of theoretical modeling techniques including quantum chemical simulations to explore the underlying mechanisms and pathways for treatability/transformation of chemicals of interest in conjunction with experimentally obtained data. Further, the research participant will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of scientists to obtain a more holistic understanding of the underlying challenges and solutions to complex environmental problems. Under the guidance of a mentor, the research participant will have also freedom to pursue additional research objectives within the study areas as their own interests direct.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Toby Sanan (sanan.toby@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: July 1, 2024.  All start dates are flexible and vary depending on numerous factors. Click here for detailed information about start dates.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year and may be renewed three to four additional years 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.

See the application page for Qualifications and Application information

Closing date: June 2nd, 2024

The Department of Environmental Science is one of the largest departments at the Faculty of Science. The Department is divided into four units with more than 170 researchers, teachers, doctoral students and technical/administrative staff from over 30 countries. Research and teaching focuses on chemical contaminants, atmospheric science, biogeochemistry and (eco)toxicology. As an employee at the Department of Environmental Science you will be part of a dynamic environment with research in leading research areas and a strong international profile.

Project description
To further broaden our research profile and strengthen our research environment, the Contaminant Chemistry Unit within the Department of Environmental Science is recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Chemistry with an open research focus. We invite young scientists interested in a postdoctoral career development opportunity to submit proposals for a 2-year research project. The project should build on the existing strengths in the Department of Environmental Science while introducing new research questions or methods. The Contaminant Chemistry Unit currently consists of 6 research groups (MacLeod, McLachlan, Cousins, Posselt, Sobek, and Benskin). Our research programs examine the occurrence and behavior of pollutants in the environment and in the technosphere. Areas of particular interest include the discovery of new contaminants, understanding the physical, chemical, and biological pathways that contaminants follow, and the development of novel tools and techniques for sampling and analysis. We strive to synthesize our scientific understanding about the sources, transport, transformation, bioaccumulation and pharmacokinetics of environmental contaminants into mathematical models that inspire new scientific hypotheses, and support environmental decision-making.

Main responsibilities
The postdoctoral researcher is expected to take the lead on- and be responsible for experimental design and laboratory work, as well as interpretation of data, data management, writing, and publishing, in collaboration with the project team. Teaching is not required as part of this position, but opportunities to teach at both the graduate and undergraduate level are available.

Qualification requirements
Postdoctoral positions are appointed primarily for purposes of research. Applicants are expected to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent degree from another country.

Assessment criteria
The degree must have been completed at latest before the employment decision is made, but no more than three years before the closing date. An older degree may be acceptable under special circumstances. Special reasons refer to sick leave, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances as well as clinical attachment or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.

In the appointment process, special attention will be given to the strength of the research proposal, and its potential to complement existing research in the Contaminant Chemistry Unit.

Terms of employment
The position involves full-time employment for two years, with the possibility of extension under special circumstances. Start date in September or as per agreement. The position includes full salary and social benefits.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact
Further information about the position can be obtained from the Professor Jonathan Benskin, Head of the Contaminant Chemistry Unit,  telephone: +46 8 674 70  99, jon.benskin@aces.su.se.

Union representatives
Ingrid Lander (Saco-S), telephone: +46 708 16 26 64, saco@saco.su.se, Alejandra Pizarro Carrasco (Fackförbundet ST/OFR), telephone: +46 8 16 34 89, alejandra@st.su.se, and seko@seko.su.se (SEKO).

Application
Apply for the position at Stockholm University’s recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

Please include the following information with your application

• Your contact details and personal data
• Your highest degree
• Your language skills
• Contact details for 2–3 references

and, in addition, please include the following documents

• Cover letter
• CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of publications
• Research proposal (no more than 3 pages) describing:
  – why you are interested in the field/project described in the advertisement
  – why and how you wish to complete the project
  – what makes you suitable for the project in question
• Copy of PhD diploma
• Letters of recommendation (no more than 3 files)
• Publications in support of your application (no more than 3 files).

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.

You are welcome to apply!

Stockholm University contributes to the development of sustainable democratic society through knowledge, enlightenment and the pursuit of truth.

Apply here: https://www.su.se/english/about-the-university/work-at-su/available-jobs?rmpage=job&rmjob=23557&rmlang=UK

The Office of Regulatory Science in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (US FDA/CFSAN) is seeking a post-doctoral fellow to conduct research in our food safety research program. This is a one-year position with possibility of renewal. The primary research goal for this position is to utilize established methods to quantify PFAS in non-stick cookware coatings and food processing equipment in collaboration with the Office of Food Additive Safety for the determinationof potential exposure to PFAS from food contact articles (FCAs).

A Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related fields is required and must have been obtained within the past 5 years. Applicants to this position should have a strong background and interest in learning and gaining experience with targeted liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques. Knowledge or experience with Shimadzu Nexera UPLC and Sciex QTRAP 6500+ systems, food science, and food analysis method development is highly desirable. The ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing is essential.

The primary responsibilities of this position will include planning and conducting laboratory experiments, analyzing, and managing data, and preparing manuscripts and presenting research findings at scientific conferences.

U.S. citizenship, permanent resident status, or a valid J1 Visa is required. Applicants must have resided in the United States for at least 36 of the previous 60 months to be eligible. The position is located at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, MD. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, names of references, and a statement describing how their experience, skills and interests are suited to this position to katherine.l.fiedler@fda.hhs.gov.