Industrial Ecology Scientists

Key Responsibilities

• Forecast future status or condition of ecosystems, based on changing industrial practices or environmental conditions.
• Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.
• Investigate the adaptability of various animal and plant species to changed environmental conditions.
• Monitor the environmental impact of development activities, pollution, or land degradation.
• Build and maintain databases of information about energy alternatives, pollutants, natural environments, industrial processes, and other information related to ecological change.
• Research sources of pollution to determine environmental impact or to develop methods of pollution abatement or control.
• Conduct applied research on the effects of industrial processes on the protection, restoration, inventory, monitoring, or reintroduction of species to the natural environment.
• Redesign linear, or open-loop, systems into cyclical, or closed-loop, systems so that waste products become inputs for new processes, modeling natural ecosystems.
• Review industrial practices, such as the methods and materials used in construction or production, to identify potential liabilities and environmental hazards.
• Identify or develop strategies or methods to minimize the environmental impact of industrial production processes.
• Prepare technical and research reports, such as environmental impact reports, and communicate the results to individuals in industry, government, or the general public.
• Conduct analyses to determine the maximum amount of work that can be accomplished for a given amount of energy in a system, such as industrial production systems and waste treatment systems.
• Develop alternative energy investment scenarios to compare economic and environmental costs and benefits.
• Apply new or existing research about natural ecosystems to understand economic and industrial systems in the context of the environment.
• Perform environmentally extended input-output (EE I-O) analyses.
• Conduct scientific protection, mitigation, or restoration projects to prevent resource damage, maintain the integrity of critical habitats, and minimize the impact of human activities.
• Perform analyses to determine how human behavior can affect, and be affected by, changes in the environment.
• Analyze changes designed to improve the environmental performance of complex systems and avoid unintended negative consequences.
• Promote use of environmental management systems (EMS) to reduce waste or to improve environmentally sound use of natural resources.
• Plan or conduct studies of the ecological implications of historic or projected changes in industrial processes or development.
• Identify or compare the component parts or relationships between the parts of industrial, social, and natural systems.
• Carry out environmental assessments in accordance with applicable standards, regulations, or laws.
• Investigate accidents affecting the environment to assess ecological impact.
• Plan or conduct field research on topics such as industrial production, industrial ecology, population ecology, and environmental production or sustainability.
• Create complex and dynamic mathematical models of population, community, or ecological systems.
• Research environmental effects of land and water use to determine methods of improving environmental conditions or increasing outputs, such as crop yields.
• Recommend methods to protect the environment or minimize environmental damage from industrial production practices.
• Prepare plans to manage renewable resources.
• Investigate the impact of changed land management or land use practices on ecosystems.
• Develop or test protocols to monitor ecosystem components and ecological processes.
• Examine local, regional, or global use and flow of materials or energy in industrial production processes.
• Review research literature to maintain knowledge on topics related to industrial ecology, such as physical science, technology, economy, and public policy.
• Identify environmental impacts caused by products, systems, or projects.
• Conduct environmental sustainability assessments, using material flow analysis (MFA) or substance flow analysis (SFA) techniques.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of industrial ecology programs, using statistical analysis and applications.
• Provide industrial managers with technical materials on environmental issues, regulatory guidelines, or compliance actions.
• Identify sustainable alternatives to industrial or waste-management practices.
• Translate the theories of industrial ecology into eco-industrial practices.