Scientist Water Ecologist, Bureau Public Health Laboratory

The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is a public health leader serving over 8.4 million New York City residents from diverse ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds. The NYC Public Health Laboratory (PHL) is one of the largest local public health laboratories in the United States offering a dynamic and innovative work environment where employees contribute to the health and safety of NYC residents by providing clinical and environmental laboratory testing services.

With more than 100 years of leadership in public health, a team of over 200 scientific and support staff are committed to its mission to safeguard the health of all NYC residents by providing quality laboratory testing services that support the priorities of the NYC DOHMH and its community partners to prevent and respond to clinical and environmental public health concerns.

The DOHMH PHL seeks a qualified candidate to serve as a Scientist Water Ecologist III in the Environmental Sciences Section. This position will play an integral role in laboratory testing and responding to public health threats, including but not limited to COVID-19, vaccine preventable diseases, HIV, Legionella as well as respiratory, foodborne, and waterborne disease outbreaks. This is an excellent opportunity to join our multidisciplinary team, and collaborate with local, state, federal, and academic partners.

The staff will primarily work within the Water Microbiology Unit  unit utilizes microbiological and molecular microbiological tools to detect and monitor pathogens in drinking and recreational water, and non-potable water systems such as cooling towers. This includes NYC’s beach monitoring and Legionella response programs.

McGibbon E, Iuppa Burke E, Watts E, Beaver-Timmons B, Law V, Leung YL, George A, Qiu L, Silver S, Reddy V, Omoregie E, Siemetzki
- Kapoor U, Fung D, Schiff C, Ahuja SD. Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease Associated with Cooling Tower Systems in Central Harlem. NEJM Evid. 2026 Jul;5(7):

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2600062. doi: 10.1056/EVIDpha
2600062. Epub 2026 Jun 23. PMID: .

• Perform routine water ecology and water quality laboratory testing and analyses on environmental and water samples, following established laboratory controls and QA/QC requirements.
• Conduct moderately complex analytical procedures using both manual and automated techniques, ensuring proper instrument setup, calibration, and maintenance.
• Utilize laboratory equipment including glassware, pipettes, slides, test tubes, microscopes, and molecular tools with the fine motor coordination needed for precise adjustments and measurements.
• Apply microbiological and molecular methods to support water quality research, environmental monitoring programs, and pathogen detection in water systems.
• Use laboratory software and mathematical models to perform data analysis and statistical interpretation of water quality and ecological data.
• Prepare, handle, and store environmental samples in accordance with standardized protocols, maintaining sample integrity and traceability.
• Maintain detailed laboratory records, technical logs, and documentation of testing activities and results.
• Follow safety protocols including wearing PPE (gloves, lab coats, goggles) and working safely in BSL-2 environments and confined laboratory spaces.
• Assist in method development and refinement of laboratory procedures, ensuring alignment with regulatory, accreditation, and programmatic requirements.
• Support cross-training initiatives within the lab and contribute to surge testing capacity during environmental or public health events.
• Participate in laboratory quality assurance programs, including QC reviews, corrective actions, and continuous improvement…