Internships Available, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, EPA

The Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) is a leader in the science of human health and ecological risk assessment. Divisions within CPHEA, such as the Chemical and Pollutant Assessment Division (CPAD), occupy a critical position within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) between the research community and EPA’s program and regional offices who make regulatory, enforcement, and remedial action decisions. CPAD is tasked with determining how pollutants or other stressors may impact human health and the environment.
CPHEA’s Education Program provides participants with educational and professional opportunities in the development of human health and ecological risk assessments, using robust scientific processes to determine how pollutants or other stressors may impact human health and the environment. Through on-the-job training, students work with CPHEA CPAD staff as part of a team conducting an assessment. Through this process students learn about risk assessment (e.g. hazard identification, mode of action analysis, dose-response analysis), systematic review, and new computational tools being utilized in evidence analysis. Students may also assist with confirming toxicity and risk information gathered computationally from public sources to assure accuracy. These non-laboratory positions are ideal for students interested in learning more about the application of toxicological, epidemiological, and environmental research to support science decisions related to risk assessment. CPHEA is currently seeking applications for Student Intern positions.

Technical Qualifications:
This position does not require study in a particular discipline, but applicants with coursework or experience in the following areas are strongly preferred: biology, ecology, toxicology, environmental science, public health, epidemiology, bioinformatics, molecular biology, statistics, or a related field. The specific project will be based on student area of interest, completed or in progress coursework, and discussions with academic mentors. The ideal candidate would possess and/or demonstrate the following:

• Proactive and engaging nature.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.
• General knowledge and interest in public health and environmental sciences.
• Excellent communications skills

Eligibility Requirements:
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen enrolled at least half-time and be in good standing in a degree-seeking program (bachelor, master, or doctoral degree) at an accredited U.S. educational institution. Participants are required to show proof of enrollment and provide a completed resume.
The program duration will be for a minimum of 10 weeks, 10-15 hours per week within the 2024-2025 school year. This is an unpaid educational opportunity in a virtual environment. Students will be assigned a mentor for the duration of this internship. The participant does not become an EPA employee.

How to Apply:
Interested students should email a statement of interest/cover letter (no more than 1 page), proof of enrollment, and resume/CV to: Louis Neal (neal [dot] louis [at] epa [dot] gov) or Amanda Persad (persad [dot] amanda [at] epa [dot] gov). In the subject line, reference ‘CPHEA Education Program. The statement of interest should clearly identify your academic and professional interests. Potential candidates will have to undergo a background check prior to onboarding. EPA will accept applicants on a rolling basis. For consideration for the Fall/Winter semester, applications are due by July 31, 2024.