Joshua Joseph, Jr., PhD | U.S. Geological Survey

Dr. Joshua Joseph, Jr. comes to the USGS with over 25 years of domestic and international experience in environmental and water resources that span science, engineering, technology, policy analytics, economics, and management. Joshua plays a major role in ensuring that scientific efforts are coordinated and integrated within the mission area, with other programs across the USGS, and through Interagency programs.

He has engaged across multiple sectors, including government, private industry, the not-for-profit arena, and academia. Prior to USGS, Joshua served as a Senior Environmental Scientist-Engineer with Bechtel National Inc., leading the development of the Environmental Management Plan for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Program; providing Functional level support across all elements of Environmental, Safety, & Health for the Nuclear, Security, & Environmental global business unit; and supporting NS&E marketing and business development.

Joshua’s professional career includes employment with Procter & Gamble (Plant Environmental Manager/Folgers Coffee), US EPA (Senior Environmental Scientist/Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water and Office of Research & Development), LANL (Technical Staff/Nuclear Materials Control & Accountability), CH2M HILL (Senior Technologist/Water Business Group), Southern University (Associate Professor & Chair/Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering), Bechtel, and USGS.

Academically, Joshua has earned a Bachelors of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Southern University and A&M College), a Masters of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), a Masters of Public Policy (Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government), a Post-Masters Certificate (The Johns Hopkins University), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University).

Joshua has been active across volunteer services, community engagement entities, and youth development groups throughout his career and personal life. He has also been committed to diversity and inclusion principles and practices at each of his professional and academic organizations. More recently, he was active in COVID case identification, management, and tracing while employed with Bechtel.

Professional Experience

Senior Environmental Scientist-Engineer – Bechtel National Inc. (Reston, VA) / Nuclear, Security, & Environmental (Environmental, Safety, & Health) / Marketing & Business Development (Nuclear, Security, & Operations)
Associate Professor & Chair of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering – Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, LA) / Director of Freshman Programs (College of Sciences and Engineering)
Adjunct Instructor/Course Developer – The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) / Engineering for Professionals Graduate Program / Water Resources Management (Lead Instructor – Alternate Years) / Environmental Management Systems
Senior Technologist – CH2M HILL (Atlanta, GA; Baton Rouge, LA; Cincinnati, OH) / Water Business Group
Technical Staff – Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM) / Safeguards Systems Group / Nonproliferation & International Security Division
Environmental Scientist – United States Environmental Protection Agency (Washington, DC) / Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water and Office of Research & Development
Director of Environmental Services – NIA Corporation; Instructor – Oakland Electronic Commerce Resource Center (Oakland, CA)
Plant Environmental Manager – Procter & Gamble (New Orleans, LA) / The Folgers Coffee Company

Education and Certifications

Ph.D. / Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA) / Graduate Student Marshal / Dissertation: Computational Tools for Improved Analysis and Assessment of Groundwater Remediation Sites
Post-Masters / Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, MD) / The G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering / Engineering for Professionals Program – Environmental Engineering & Science
MPP / Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) / Kennedy Government School / Major: Environment & Natural Resources / Minor: Science, Technology, & Public Policy
SM / M.I.T. (Cambridge, MA) / Civil & Environmental Engineering
BS / Southern University (Baton Rouge, LA) / Chief Student Marshal / Summa Cum Laude

Affiliations and Memberships*

Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Alumni Board (VT)
Capital Region (LA) Planning Commission
Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority Nominating Committee
Baton Rouge Engineer and Survey Selection Board
Louisiana Transportation Research Center Policy Committee
Ascension Parish Selection Committee – Wastewater Collection and Treatment System
National Technical Policy Committee – American Water Resources Association
2nd Small Water & Waste Water Systems Symposium Steering Committee – NSF, International
National Drinking Water Advisory Council’s Small Systems Working Group – US EPA

Honors and Awards

Harry S Truman Scholar
Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
VT Cunningham Doctoral Scholars Award; Charles E Via Jr Civil & Environmental Engineering Doctoral Scholar; Edna Bailey Sussman Research Internship
Richard A Herbert Memorial Scholarship (AWRA); Future Professoriate Graduate Certificate
United States Air Force Academy Faculty Development Fellow – Inaugural Fellow – Fall 2018
USA Today Academic All American; National Merit Scholarship; Jostens Foundation Leader Scholarship; Kodak Scholarship; Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society Academic Award; Daryl Hughes Memorial Scholarship
Bechtel: R+2 Award for Build Trust (Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Program Response); R+3 Award for Collaboration (GBSD Program Proposal Development); R+2 Award for Collaboration
Southern University: The College of Engineering’s Contractor’s Educational Trust Fund Endowed Professor; Outstanding Faculty – Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
CH2M HILL: Supplier Diversity & Small Business Program’s Subcontracting Administrator’s Award – Exemplary efforts towards utilizing small and diverse businesses in the performance of the contract
Employee of the Year – Baton Rouge Sanitary Sewer Overflow Program – Awarded by the Metro Bayou Classic Committee
Exemplary Performance/Beyond Performance Boundaries Certificate (Public, Client, and City Council Communications and Developing and Leading the Construction Communications Team)
Nominee for CEO Excellence Award for Delivery Excellence (MASDAR Industrial Waste Codes); Nominee for Capitol Area Ground Water Conservation Commission (Louisiana)
LANL Distinguished Performance Award (Contributions toward International Nonproliferation)
US EPA: Bronze Medal (2); Diversity Action Plan Award; Staff Choice Award
Rochester Institute of Technology (New York) – Keynote Speaker – Future Faculty Career Exploration Program
American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Conference – Keynote Speaker
Southern University Engineer’s Week Celebration – Keynote Address
Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX) – Inaugural Keynote Address: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Conscious Speaker Series Campus Workshop–Office of Multicultural Affairs
Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville – Engineering Symposium – Lessons from MASDAR: Construction Communications and Risk Assessment & Management