Dr. Beth McGee Science Fellow – Chesapeake Bay Foundation

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation seeks a Dr. Beth McGee Science Fellow in the EPR Department as a fully remote position which can report to CBF locations in Annapolis MD, Harrisburg PA, Richmond VA, or Hampton Roads VA.

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION

Established in 1966, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is the largest regional nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to saving the Chesapeake Bay, its rivers and streams, and the wildlife that call it home through education, advocacy, litigation, and restoration. Since 2010, CBF has engaged in a focused effort to defend and implement the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, a binding federal and state collaborative agreement aimed at reducing pollution to the science-based, legally-affirmed levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Blueprint is expected to be fully implemented by 2025. If the states and the federal government achieve Blueprint goals, the Bay will finally—after decades of failed efforts—be removed from the Clean Water Act’s impaired waters list. Successfully implementing the Blueprint depends on a well-informed, engaged, active, and diverse constituency of members, advocates, and volunteers who speak up and take action to save the Bay.

CBF has a staff of approximately 230 employees working in offices in Annapolis, Maryland; Richmond and Virginia Beach, Virginia; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. as well as 14 field education program locations. Our staff and volunteer corps work throughout the region educating students and adults, advocating for clean water policies, restoring waterways, and litigating when necessary.

CBF’s headquarters office in Annapolis, Maryland is the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, the world’s first U.S. Green Build Council’s LEED platinum building. In 2014, CBF opened the Brock Environmental Center—one of the world’s most energy efficient, environmentally smart buildings—in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

CBF has an annual budget of approximately $30 million and is supported by over 200,000 members and e-subscribers. For more information on CBF, please visit cbf.org.

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

Environmental Protection and Restoration

CBF’s Environmental Protection and Restoration department defends and restores the Chesapeake Bay by protecting the Bay’s natural resources from pollution and other harmful activities by fighting for strong and effective laws and regu­lations; restoring the Bay’s essential habitats and filtering mechanisms; and involving citizens in CBF’s environmental efforts by recruiting, training, and incorporating them as effective partners and leaders.

CONTEXT OF THE POSITION 

The Beth McGee Science Fellowship is in honor of longtime CBF scientist Dr. Beth McGee who passed away in June of 2023. Beth was dedicated to having science inform policy and to the mentorship of young professionals in the conservation field. The Beth McGee Science Fellowship is a part-time position with CBF working alongside a member of the Environmental Protection and Restoration Department to tackle emerging issues related to the restoration of Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. The focus of the fellowship will be to help inform CBF’s policies and positions through the application of emerging science and research related to water quality, climate change, land and water restoration practices and agricultural best management practices. There is an opportunity for a candidate-proposed focus if it aligns with the scope of the position. This is a part-time 8 to 9-month position.

1. Work closely with scientists and other staff in the Environmental Protection and Restoration Department to develop a series of white papers and informative briefs that help CBF respond to complex and/or unaddressed scientific challenges and questions facing restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
2. Design supporting materials that help disseminate the findings and recommendations in white papers and informational briefs, including helping to develop materials for internal and external audiences on emerging issues.
3. Participate in field investigations with state office scientists to evaluate policies in practice.
4. Assist in compilation and analysis of water quality, climate, economic, and agricultural data sets to answer key restoration and policy questions and inform policy positions.
5. Conduct literature reviews on relevant climate and water quality issues in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and identify cutting-edge pollution and climate related tools and datasets.
6. Present work internally and externally to disseminate current information and strengthen science communication and presentation skills.