EPA Development of Computational Approaches for Predicting Thyroid Systems Disruption in Aquatic Species

About the role

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a research opportunity at the Great Lakes Coastal Environmental Science Laboratory in Duluth, Minnesota. The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment by ensuring clean air, land, and water; basing environmental risks on the best available scientific information; and administering and enforcing federal environmental laws. This research focuses on addressing the endocrine disrupting potential of chemicals, particularly their impact on thyroid hormone status, and developing methods to evaluate thyroid disruption.

Responsibilities

• Develop a bio-assay to quantitatively monitor thyroid hormone synthesis as a complement to existing in vitro thyroid-related assays.
• Analyze canonical and suspected thyroid disrupting chemicals to understand the translation of in vitro activity to in vivo outcomes.
• Apply computational tools such as the octanol-water partition coefficient (logKow) and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to interpret in vitro data and prioritize chemicals likely to impact thyroid function in aquatic systems.
• Learn innovative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation and reverse toxicokinetic approaches to translate effect concentrations from laboratory assays to environmental media concentrations.
• Design workflows and apply data analysis pipelines for automated and standardized analysis of large scientific datasets.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of data archiving and storage systems for research data management.
• Assess assay and data quality through quality assurance and quality control practices using statistical and performance-based measures.
• Process and analyze large, high-content datasets using established and emerging computational analysis pipelines.
• Compile and synthesize scientific information from peer-reviewed literature and online data sources to support interpretation within the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework.
• Apply statistical analysis approaches such as hypothesis testing, regression methods, multivariate statistics, and concordance analyses to support research objectives.
• Develop familiarity with computational and quantitative methods used in toxicology, exposure science, and data-intensive research environments.
• Build scientific communication skills through preparation and presentation of research findings at conferences or workshops.
• Contribute to the preparation of peer-reviewed publications and dissemination materials for research partners and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master’s or bachelor’s degree in Computational Biology, Computational Toxicology, Mathematics, Biostatistics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Degree must have been received within the past five years; candidates with a bachelor’s may be considered if they demonstrate strong experience.

Preferred Skills

• Computational skills, including programming and R-based statistics.
• Experience designing workflows and applying data analysis pipelines for automated and standardized analysis of large datasets.
• Experience developing and implementing data archiving and storage systems.
• Experience identifying statistical and performance-based measures of assay and data quality and implementing quality assurance and quality control.
• Experience processing and analyzing large, high-content datasets using existing and novel computational pipelines.
• Experience conducting statistical analyses, including hypothesis testing, regression-based approaches, multivariate statistics, and concordance analyses.

Stipend

$52,500.00 – $64,000.00 yearly, commensurate with educational level and experience.

Schedule

Full-time appointment with initial duration of one year, renewable for up to three to four additional years upon EPA recommendation and subject to funding availability.