Research Planning, Inc

09/16/2026

🌊 We're Hiring: Policy Analyst | Research Planning, Inc. (RPI)

RPI is seeking a Policy Analyst to support the NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) in meeting its responsibilities under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA).

📍 Locations: Silver Spring, MD | Columbia, SC | Tallahassee, FL

💰 Salary: $60,000 – $80,000 / year + benefits

🗓️ Term: 1-Year Funded Position

Key Responsibilities:
🔹 Draft technical summaries, briefing papers & talking points for federal leadership
🔹 Analyze DSHMRA exploration licenses & commercial recovery permits
🔹 Review regulatory clearance packages & coordinate with NOAA technical/legal teams
🔹 Assist with Federal Register notices, virtual hearings & FOIA requests

Qualifications: 🎓 Bachelor's degree + 3 yrs experience OR Master's degree + 1 yr experience in Marine Science, Oceanography, Environmental Policy, or Marine Policy.

Details can be found at our website: https://www.researchplanning.com/about/careers/

Research Planning, Inc. (RPI) is a scientific consulting firm that has been in business since 1977. We have an excellent history of working on complex, multi-disciplinary projects, mostly for state and federal government agencies. We also do a lot of international work for private clients, governmen...

01/05/2026

RPI is hiring a Geospatial Scientist / Quantitative Ecologist to support NOAA's harmful algal bloom (HAB) forecasting team!

Details can be found at the link below:

12/22/2025

Season's Greetings and a Happy New Year from RPI

05/05/2025

RPI is proud to be providing scientific support to NOAA Office of Response and Restoration for this incident.

We are aiding in the U.S. Coast Guard’s response to the Well #59 Incident, an oil and natural gas release in a marsh environment in Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/may25/oil-gas-release-louisiana.html

Our team is providing on-scene scientific support, including providing oil spill trajectory analyses and forecasts, identifying potential resources at risk, assisting with overflights of the spill, and integrating aerial and on-water observations into spatial maps for use by responders.

Photo: An overflight displays the affected area of marsh environment near Garden Island Bay, Louisiana on April 27, 2025. A safety zone has been enacted in the area and boom has been placed to contain the released product. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.

04/22/2025

Happy Earth Day!

We're proud to be supporting NOAA's seagrass restoration efforts for this project in the Florida Keys.

Restoration of a damaged seagrass meadow is underway in the Northwest Ship Channel off Key West, where a ferry boat damaged a large section of the seafloor after running aground

10/23/2024

Members of the US Coast Guard are using our Vessel, All-Hazards, Debris Response (VADR) mobile application to perform pollution target assessments after Hurricane Milton. We are always happy to support the Coast Guard with their pollution response and other various missions! Semper Paratus

09/11/2024

Jacqui Michel (center) and Chris Boring from RPI are in Panama conducting Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (S**T) training for Panama Canal Authority employees. S**T is a systematic method for surveying affected shorelines after an oil spill that is widely used both within the U.S. and abroad. In this photo, participants are learning how to assess and document subsurface oiling on a sand beach.

09/10/2024

RPI is participating in a remote sensing workshop with other oil spill responders from federal and state agencies and industry hosted by the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center.

05/13/2024

Attending IOSC? Come visit our booth (439) and say hi to the team!

03/22/2024

This past week, RPI assisted NOAA in teaching members of the USCG and others in Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (S**T) in Charleston, SC. The course involves both class time and field work in order to learn how to properly quantify shoreline oiling in the event of an oil spill on various shoreline habitats.

The class ended with a trip to Shem Creek Park in Mt. Pleasant for students to participate in a simulated S**T survey of a salt water marsh, as well as a demonstration on utilizing an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle to assess shoreline that is inaccessible by foot, as well as a couple of group photos off the end of the boardwalk.