About EPA
About the Office of Research and Development (ORD)
What We Do
Science at EPA provides the foundation for credible decision-making to safeguard human health and ecosystems from environmental pollutants. The Office of Research and Development (ORD) is the scientific research arm of EPA, whose leading-edge research helps provide the solid underpinning of science and technology for the Agency.
ORD supports six research programs that identify the most pressing environmental health research needs with input from EPA offices, partners and stakeholders. Strategic Research Action Plans outline the research under way in the programs. The research is conducted by ORD’s three national laboratories, four national centers, and two offices located in 14 facilities across the country and in Washington, DC.
Organization
Lek Kadeli, Acting Assistant Administrator
- Biography
- Phone: 202-564-6620
- Mail code: 8101R | EPA mailing addresses
Dr. Robert Kavlock, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science
- Phone: 919-541-2326
- Mail code: 8101R | EPA mailing addresses
Ramona Trovato, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Management
- Phone: 202-564-6620
- Mail code: 8101R | EPA mailing addresses
ORD’s six research programs are:
- Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program
- Chemical Safety for Sustainability Research Program
- Human Health Risk Assessment Program
- Homeland Security Research Program
- Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research Program
- Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program
ORD’s laboratories, centers and offices are:
- National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT)
- National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA)
- National Center for Environmental Research (NCER)
- National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL)
- National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
- National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC)
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL)
- Office of the Science Advisor (OSA)
- Office of Science Policy
Office of the Science Advisor (OSA)
What We Do
OSA, led by the Agency Science Advisor, provides leadership in cross-Agency science and science policy development and implementation to ensure the best possible use of science at the Agency. These efforts help ensure regulations are interpreted and enforced in a manner consistent with the science supporting them and will strengthen EPA's overall scientific performance.
The Science Advisor works across the Agency to ensure that the highest quality science is better integrated into the Agency's policies and decisions. In this capacity, the Science Advisor leads the OSA and chairs the Agency's Science and Technology Policy Council which reviews selected science issues that have implications across program and regional offices. The mission of the OSA is to provide leadership and serve as an honest broker for cross-Agency science, science policy, and technology issues.
Programs and projects managed by the Office of the Science Advisor
- Science and Technology Policy Council (STPC)
- Risk Assessment Forum (RAF)
- Program in Human Research Ethics (PHRE) and Human Studies Review Board (HSRB)
- Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)
- Council for Regulatory Environmental Modeling (CREM)
- Forum on Environmental Measurement (FEM) and Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board (ELAB)
Mail code: 8105R | EPA mailing addresses
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
Office of Science Policy (OSP)
What We Do
The Office of Science Policy (OSP) is ORD's lead organization for integrating, coordinating, and communicating scientific and technical information and advice provided by ORD's laboratories and centers on the use of science in Agency decisions. OSP performs ORD's integration function by developing unified ORD positions on the use of science in Agency decisions, coordinating ORD's implementation of EPA policies such as peer review and scientific issues related to the Information Quality Guidelines, and serving as the Designated Federal Official with support from staff to the Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC).
OSP performs ORD's coordination function by bringing ORD and the program and regional offices together to address critical science issues and facilitating access to ORD scientists for input into Agency decisions. OSP performs the science communication function by representing ORD to tribal communities and by sponsoring external and internal colloquia, workshops, and scientific meetings on topical science issues. This work is accomplished through the establishment and maintenance of working relationships between science programs in ORD and science and regulatory programs in EPA's program and regional offices.
Programs and projects managed by the Office of Science Policy
- Board of Scientific Counselors
- Regional Science Program
- Superfund and Technology Liaison Program
- Federal Technology Transfer
- Program Support
- Tribal Science Program
- Environmental Justice
Mail code: 8104R | EPA mailing addresses
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
Office of Science Policy Organization
Fred Hauchman, Director
- Phone: 202-564-6705