Jump to main content or area navigation.

Contact Us

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. The work at ORD laboratories, research centers, and offices across the country helps improve the quality of air, water, soil, and the way we use resources.

Programs and projects managed by ORD:

Organization

Paul T. Anastas, Assistant Administrator and Science Advisor

Dr. Kevin Teichman , Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science

Lek Kadeli , Deputy Assistant Administrator for Management

Ramona Travato, Associate Assistant Administrator

ORD is organized into three national laboratories, four national centers, and two offices located in 14 facilities around the country and in Washington, D.C. EPA laboratory and research centers provide the science and technology to identify environmental hazards, assess risks to public health and ecosystems and determine how best to control or prevent pollution. The research focuses on the Agency's highest-priority science needs for regulatory decision making. The labs, centers, and offices provide information and technical support to EPA offices, state, municipal, and tribal governments, and other agencies performing environmental research, assessment, and risk management. ORD scientists also collaborate with private-sector partners to address important environmental issues.

The Office of Research and Development includes:

Top of Page

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

Mail code: 8105R | EPA mailing addresses

Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus

OSA Organization

Paul T. Anastas, Science Advisor

Top of Page

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

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

Top of Page

Contact the About EPA Web editor to request an update of this page or report a problem.

Jump to main content.