This opportunity is at the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) in Panama City, FL.  NEDU's mission is to conduct manned, unmanned, and biomedical research, development, test, and evaluation of diving, hyperbaric, life support, and submersible systems and procedures to ensure all diving equipment and procedures meet the safety standards and operational requirements to expand the U.S. Navy’s advantage during any undersea military operation.  NEDU is equipped with the United State's largest research hyperbaric chamber complex for wet and dry hyperbaric/diving operations, a 55,000 gallon test pool, and state-of-the-art physiological research facilities.

Project collaborations will be in the Biomedical Research Department, providing technical expertise in the planning and execution of research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) related to physiology, mathematical modeling of physiological data, and computer programming. The program efficiently minimizes the incidence and severity of decompression sickness in U.S. Navy undersea diving and submarine operations. Specific emphasis is placed on synthesis of scientific data into guidance for undersea operations. This work contributes to or affects mission effectiveness and operational capabilities and safety of U.S. Navy diving and submarine operations.

What will I be doing?

The prospective candidate will be involved with and receive mentoring by NEDU's Decompression Research Group who collectively have 80 years of experience developing and testing new procedures for conducting undersea operations. Two projects have been identified which will be conducted during FY24 and beyond that provide opportunities to participate in both unmanned and manned research. The two projects are test and evaluation of prospective real-time decompression computers for acquisition by the U.S. Navy and the development of ultrasonic methods to measure blood-borne bubbles at hyperbaric pressure to evaluate the efficacy of decompression.

Why should I apply?

Opportunities to conduct test protocol development, data collection, statistical analysis, decompression procedure development, and report writing will be provided. Research activities at NEDU will expose the candidate to all aspects of the research process, from experimental design to collection and analysis of data, and publication of reports.

What is the anticipated start date? 

The exact start date will be determined at the time of selection and in coordination with the selected candidate.

What is the length of the appointment?

This ORISE appointment initial appointment will be for one year of training but may be renewed for up to three more years.

What are the benefits? 

You will receive a stipend to be determined by NEDU. Stipends are typically based on a participant’s academic standing, discipline, experience, and research facility location. Other benefits may include the following:

• Health Insurance Supplement (Participants are eligible to purchase health insurance through ORISE)
• Relocation Allowance
• Training and Travel Allowance

About ORISE

This program, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and DoD. Participants do not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DoD or any other office or agency. Instead, you will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE appointment letter and Terms of Appointment.  Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.  For more information, visit the ORISE Research Participation Program at the U.S. Department of Defense.

Potential candidates should meet the following requirements:

• Ph.D. Engineer or scientist with a background in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, or respiratory or systems physiology.

• Experience reviewing and synthesizing scientific information including journal articles, technical reports, research proposals, experimental protocols, and raw and compiled data files.

• (Highly Desired, but not required) Experience conducting human subject research.

• (Highly Desired, but not required) Experience and knowledge in diving and/or hyperbarics.

• (Highly Desired, but not required) Experience with C# .Net programming language. 

A complete application consists of:

• Zintellect profile
• Essay Questions - The application includes questions specific to the opportunity.
• Academic Records - For this opportunity, an official transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted.
• Current Resume/CV
• One (1) Recommendation - Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted. We encourage you to contact your recommender(s) as soon as you start your application to ensure they are able to complete the recommendation form and to let them know to expect a message from Zintellect. Recommenders will be asked to rate your scientific capabilities, personal characteristics, and describe how they know you. You can always log back in to your Zintellect account and check the status of your application. The status will go from Started to Submitted and then to Completed once the required recommendations have been received.