Epidemiologist

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston is seeking an Epidemiologist to support occupational health, health physics, and compliance functions. You will analyze epidemiological data, assess exposures, and help implement preventive controls to protect worker health across environmental, chemical, biological, and radiological factors.

You will translate findings into actionable guidance for employees and leadership and participate in surveillance of occupational disease trends, risk mitigation, and

Qualifications

• Specialized experience in surveillance, data collection, and epidemiology methods.
• Ability to translate health data into prevention practices and risk reductions.
• Experience developing educational or training materials for staff.

Responsibilities

• Support protection of worker/crew health through hazard anticipation, exposure assessment, risk analysis, compliance, and preventive controls.
• Provide data analysis for epidemiological data to identify associations between exposures and outcomes.
• Assist in evaluating effectiveness of controls through follow-up monitoring, risk assessments, and audits.
• Translate complex health and risk information into actionable guidance for employees and leadership.
• Participate in research and occupational surveillance on health trends and environmental health risks.

Skills

Hazard assessment

Exposure assessment

Risk analysis

Data analysis

Epidemiology knowledge

Communication of health information

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Statistical software

Data dashboards

Job description

Summary

You will serve as an Epidemiologist at NASA Johnson Space Center. You will provide support and contribute to occupational health, health physicist, or compliance functions. You will collectively support the protection of worker health through hazard anticipation, exposure assessment, risk analysis, and preventive controls. You will drive functions to understand how environmental, chemical, biological, and radiological factors impact human health and implement systems that minimize those risks.

Duties

• Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
• Support the protection of worker/crew/subject health through hazard anticipation, exposure assessment, risk analysis, compliance, and preventive controls.
• Provide data analysis for applicable data sets, including epidemiological data, to determine associations between exposures and outcomes.
• Assist in establishing methods to evaluate effectiveness of implemented controls measures through follow-up monitoring, risk assessments, and audits.
• Translate complex health, exposure, and risk information into actionable guidance for employees, leadership, and technical teams.
• Participate in research and occupational surveillance on occupational disease trends, exposure reduction strategies, radiation effects, and environmental health risks.
• Participate in integrated occupational and medical risk management, collaborating with clinical, behavioral health, environmental, and biomedical engineering, or other teams to inform program-level risk mitigation strategies.

Conditions of employment

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• This position may require a one-year probationary period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section**
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

To qualify for GS-11, you must have:

• One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:
• Assisting in conducting surveillance or monitoring activities, performing fundamental laboratory or field procedures, or completing basic analyses or visualizations to identify patterns, trends, or potential hazards affecting population or workforce health;
• Collecting, organizing, and interpreting data obtained from interpretive summaries, surveys, or environmental measurements or laboratory tests;
• Assisting in developing or delivering epidemiology educational or training materials that promote prevention practices and risk-reduction behaviors among staff or targeted audiences.

OR Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field

OR Completed 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in an appropriate field.

OR Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a), b) and c) above

To qualify for GS-12, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level:

• Conducting statistical analyses or developing interactive dashboards to inform program or project decisions for assigned portions of surveillance or health outcomes projects;
• Integrating data from field, laboratory, or analytical sources to recommend improvements and define measurable performance criteria to assess, refine, or validate protocols and procedures;
• Serving as an epidemiology technical liaison to clinical, behavioral, environmental, or biomedical engineering teams, translating analytic results into actionable risk mitigation strategies.

To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level:

• Designing or refining approaches that address emerging issues and guiding high consequence hazard or health risk analyses;
• Establishing health risk analytical standards, prevention or control protocols, or cross disciplinary data integration methods to support validated models, methodologies, or advanced visualization frameworks;
• Serving as an epidemiology subject matter expert, providing technical recommendations that inform organizational decisions, strengthen risk management programs, and influence policy or strategic direction for surveillance, exposure assessment, or risk evaluation.

Preferred candidate

• Industrial Hygiene
• Health Physics

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.

Probationary Period

You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government;
• and, whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

Basic Education Requirement

You must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree.

Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

• Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
• Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information.
• Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents.'

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap.

Per Executive Order 14343, this position is not part of a bargaining unit.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests:

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

Any applicant that received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) from the federal governmentwithin the last five years based of the closing date of this announcement, if selected, may be required to repay the full amount prior to establishing a start date. For additional information on the VSIP repayment requirement, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-separation-incentive-payments/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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