Research Geologist

Job Details

Qualifications & Requirements

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/17/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Basic Educational Requirement and/or Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in geology. In addition to the geology course work included in the degree, it must also have included or been supplemented by 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography; OR B. A combination of education and experience-course work as shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in geology plus 20 additional semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses as specified in "A" above), plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE) MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to the Basic Education Requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: Applicants must possess at least one full year of appropriate professional experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of specialized experience include planning and executing geologic studies, which usually involved intensive investigations into recognized phenomena. This work typically involved conventional methods & techniques though it required going beyond clear precedents and required adapting methods to the problems at hand and interpreting findings in terms of their scientific significance. At this level, Geologists have a very good knowledge of the principles of geology and their application, and the ability to independently perform scientific work of considerable difficulty. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of a PHD or equivalent in Geology. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience. To combine education and experience, first take graduate education in excess of 36 semester hours or 54 credit hours plus specialized experience as described above. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Position Overview

You will serve as a Research Geologist within the Alaska Science Center. Salary: First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate. Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) rate of 1.49% is authorized. COLA is subject to change without notice. GS-12: $101,206 (Step 01) to $131,571 (Step 10).

Duties

• This position conducts interdisciplinary geological research to support Alaska geologic framework and mineral resource studies. Some of the major duties include but are not limited to the following: Map, analyze and interpret the structural and tectonic evolution of bedrock terrains in Alaska as they relate to mineral resources and tectonics. Compile geologic map data and contributes to the production of geologic maps, geologic map databases and other derivative products. Participate in fieldwork to map the bedrock geology and interpret the geologic structure and tectonic setting of large regions to assess the relationship to metallogeny. Participate in development of deliverables for presentation in scientific journals, geologic maps, internal reports, and at conferences. Operate a government owned or leased vehicle as an incidental driver.