Environmental Research Scientist - Leidos

Description

We are seeking an exceptional and motivated Environmental Research Scientist to work alongside world class engineers and researchers supporting the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Pittsburgh, PA. This work will involve a multi-disciplinary, scientific, and technically oriented national laboratory team, with participation alongside other data scientists, engineers, geologists, and computer scientists that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. The successful candidate will conduct field research to measure and characterize methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure including, but not limited to, orphaned and marginal wells, along with the post-processing and analysis of the collected data.

What this opportunity supporting NETL uniquely provides you: 

• Working on applied, cutting-edge projects with global impact while being mentored by, and collaborating with, the nation’s leading energy scientists and engineers.   
• Real-world experience supplemented with technical development and discussions that provide unique insight into the broad range of mission-critical engineering and scientific disciplines NETL leverages to support national energy research and policy development.  
• Access to world-class, customized facilities and computational assets specific to high-impact energy research, technology generation, and product development.  
• Support proposal development focused on expanding industry and scientific partnerships and developing new technical opportunities for NETL with federal guidance.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assisting NETL staff to obtain cooperation from natural gas operators and/or landowners to secure site access agreements for field campaigns.
• Collaborating with other national laboratories and environmental agency stakeholders to provide emissions estimates for greenhouse gas inventories. 
• Designing field campaigns for determination of emission rates from natural gas infrastructure in multiple regions.
• Collecting, recording, and post-processing of methane concentration/emission rate and meteorological data.
• Analyzing the collected data to find leading indicators, patterns, and correlations between methane emissions and other factors such as ambient temperature, type of well, and geographic region, among others.
• Maintaining databases with collected emissions data.
• Coordinating with team members to develop critical tools like probability maps to predict the location of oil and gas wells in high probability areas.
• Analyze geospatial data using spatial statistics such as hot-spot, proximity, and cluster analyses to define relationships of methane leaks/rates with factors such as geology, well construction, age, well density, etcetera.
• Prepare statistical maps and charts to illustrate spatial relationships using spatial statistical tools in ArcGIS.
• Piloting, assembling, and maintaining drones with Infrared (IR) Imaging Systems and methane sensor payloads.
• Preparing regular updates and progress reports on project progress for managers and clients
• Disseminating results via journal articles and national conference presentations.
• Developing new intellectual property based on the innovative research.
• Providing leadership and expertise on field projects including delegation to team members and communication of project milestone status to management.

Required Education, Experience & Other:

• Master’s degree in the Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Geology, or other related degree with a foundational understanding of emissions measurements or a related field of study with 2+ years of relevant technical experience.
• Strong experience in planning and executing field sampling campaigns, collecting field-based environmental data and subsequent data analysis.
• First authorship of posters/presentations at national conferences and/or peer-reviewed journal articles.
• Proficient with ArcGIS and other ESRI products. 
• Proficient in using a programming language such as Matlab or Python and statistical data analyses of environmental data.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills as this position requires extensive interface with clients and potential collaborative partners.
• Must be able to meet the requirements for gaining access to work on the NETL campus.
• Ability to travel to the other NETL campuses (Albany, OR and Morgantown, WV) as needed (up to 10%).
• Must be a U.S. Citizen

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with dispersion modeling (e.g., Gaussian plume modeling).
• Familiarity with using meteorological instruments (e.g., 3D ultrasonic anemometers that measure wind parameters) including calibration, repair, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with ambient air monitoring analytical instruments (e.g., Los Gatos UGGA) including calibration, repair, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with geochemistry and mechanical engineering experiments. 
• Experience with well infrastructure, materials, and design. 
• Knowledge and experience with active, marginal, and abandoned wells.
• Experience assembling and operating drones and drone sensor payloads.
• Expert in using a programming language such as Matlab or Python.
• Expert in using ArcGIS and other ESRI products, including the design of field mapping applications

Salary Range for this position: $90K to $105K

Original Posting Date:

While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.