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Research Project Description

Virtual Endocrine-Axis modeling
Research Participation Program
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Computational Toxicology
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC

EPA-ORD/NCCT-2013-01

Project Description:

A postdoctoral research project training opportunity is currently available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

This project will address how to predict whether a chemical can be an endocrine disruptor in vivo by combining in vitro assay data and computational models. The participant will research the development of pathway and cellular models of endocrine system chemical interactions, using all available data, including information from the literature and data generated through collaborative projects.

Types of research activities may include:

  • Developing statistical models from data to generate hypotheses about links between molecular initiating events and whole-animal phenotypes
  • Synthesizing pathway information from public sources to put the hypotheses into the context of cellular networks
  • Developing mechanistic models explaining particular types of toxicity from data to suggest further analyses and experiments
  • Incorporating chemical-structure information into the models
  • Incorporating in vitro pharmacokinetic modeling
  • Integrating data and models into databases, and building programmatic interfaces to allow others to make use of the models or model outputs.
  • Communicating findings via internal and public presentations and manuscripts

The participant will learn (1) techniques for developing and using pathway, biological systems and cell-agent based models; (2) detailed signaling biology of the endocrine system; and (3) methods for combining data mining approaches with models.

The research participant will receive mentoring and guidance needed to integrate this research with programmatic considerations and will be mentored in communicating research progress through peer-reviewed publications, national meetings of professional societies, and work-in-progress seminars. The participant will have an opportunity to engage in ongoing research that includes both national and international collaborators.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have received a doctoral degree in a biological or chemical science (biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, chemistry, chemical engineering, bioinformatics) or a computational or mathematical science (computer science or engineering, mathematics, applied mathematics) within five years of the desired starting date, or completion of all requirements for the degree should be expected prior to the starting date.

The program is open to all qualified individuals without regard to race, sex, religion, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, or status as a Vietnam era or disabled veteran. U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status is preferred (but can also hold an appropriate visa status, however, an H1B visa is not appropriate).

The appointment is full-time for one year and may be renewed for up to two additional years upon recommendation of EPA and subject to availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend. The participant must show proof of health and medical insurance. The participant does not become an EPA employee.

Technical Questions:

The contact person for this project is Dr. Richard Judson. He can be contacted at Judson.richard@epa.gov.

How to Apply:

The Research Participation Program for EPA ORD is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Please reference Project # EPA-ORD/NCCT-2013-01 when calling or writing for information. For additional information and application materials contact: Research Participation Program/EPA-ORD, Attn: Betty Bowling, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-0117, Phone: (865) 576-8503 FAX: (865) 241-5219 e-mail: betty.bowling@orau.org.

An application can be found at www.orau.gov/orise/edu/EPA/app-gugrgpd.pdf.

 

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