Hire the Best Environmental Scientists

Clients rate our Environmental Scientists
Rating is 4.8 out of 5.
4.8/5
Based on 201 client reviews
Neesha B.

Rochester, Minnesota

$85/hr
5.0
124 jobs

I'm an experienced sustainability writer, researcher, and consultant specializing in biology, sustainability, CSR, and ESG analysis and reporting. My educational background in Biology and Environment Science has helped ensure I will always write high-quality content sourced from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and reliable research groups. No greenwashing here! If you like a job done thoroughly, we'll get along well. I have been in the sustainability field for 9 years and love every part of it, from shoveling compost to calculating emissions to researching new credentials and standards in the industry. Projects I've worked on include: - ESG Reports for both public and private companies, government, and higher education aligned to GRI, SDG, IPCC, and SASB standards - B2C articles, web pages, product descriptions, books, and thought leadership posts - B2B white papers, internal reports, technical research, and data analysis - Providing feedback on new sustainability-related products and services such as carbon accounting platforms or decarbonization software - acting as a Sustainability Director-for-hire for small businesses, sitting in on investor calls, managing philanthropy and giving, and overseeing teams carrying out sustainability efforts and measuring ESG metrics and KPIs I've worked with clients in a variety of industries: manufacturing, energy, marketing, fashion, science, academia, travel, finance, and more. New to sustainability? No problem! Whether you've been around a while and need help with your ESG report, or are just getting your business off the ground and are looking for SEO-optimized content or a benchmarking analysis of your industry's sustainability initiatives, I'd love to help out! My passion is for science and sustainability, but if you're in need of a thorough researcher and editor I'm happy to research and write about all types of content :)

  • Environment
  • Content SEO
  • Environmental Science
  • Sustainability
  • Proofreading
  • Content Editing
  • Website Content
  • Blog Content
  • Research Papers
  • Content Writing
  • Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance
  • Environment & Green Technology
  • Environmental Analysis Software
  • Report Writing
  • White Paper Writing
Benjamin B.

Adelaide, Australia

$30/hr
5.0
19 jobs

My key skills are in Research, Analytics, Advocacy, Writing and Policy. My experience comes from: - Policy Officer (Environmental Impacts) writing Government submissions to the state, national and international policy discussion in Clean Air and Plastics focusing on Health Impacts and Root Causes. In addition to being contracted to assist Community organising. - Policy Analyst experienced in writing Government Submissions and Advocacy reports on various Sustainability and Climate Change topics. - A Big 4 professional services firm for 1.5 years in Infrastructure Economics and Real Estate covering Policy, Research, Data Analytics, Data Collection and Minuting. - Part of a Diverse Lived Experience Policy Panel supporting a Mental Health peak body to advocate and contribute to the Policy discussion as the face of mental health consumers. - Membership role in a Disability Leadership Training Institute managing retention, member communication and engagement as well as impact reporting. - Active Lived Experience Advocate in Advisory Boards within Government, Nonprofits and Universities bringing Mental Health and Disability perspectives and data into decision making. My Freelance experience is diverse covering: - NDIS Report Writing and Research for a NDIS provider. - AI Government Policy Review, Policy Research and AI training for large clients. - Real Estate Research, Policy and Law Analysis for a Buyers Agent - Real Estate Town Planning application research for a Buyers Agent. - Research and Advocacy Report Writing for a Youth Political Science Nonprofit. - Co designing an AI tool for writing by giving ideas and experimenting with the tool as a Founding Writer. - Giving descriptive and analytical feedback and ideas for product market research. My qualifications are a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) and I am working on a Master of Environment and Climate Emergency. I have achieved 2 Head of School Commendations for my high grades. I have over 6 years experience in Governance positions in Youth and Conservation nonprofits including over 2 years as a Nonprofit Board Secretary. I hold a Diploma of Governance from the Institute of Community Directors Australia. Feel Free to reach out and have a chat to see how I can help you!

  • Environment
  • Sustainability
  • Urban Planning
  • Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance
  • Report Writing
  • Government & Public Sector
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Mental Health
  • Policy Analysis
  • Public Policy
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Content Writing
  • Policy Writing
  • Nonprofit Organization
  • Real Estate
  • Market Research
  • Industry Research
  • Data Collection
  • Climate Science
  • Health
Nosha A.

London, United Kingdom

$30/hr
4.9
365 jobs

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5.0 I am a research associate and data analyst with PhD in environmental science from Imperial College London, My main areas of expertise are air quality modelling, climate policy analysis, statistical modelling, and academic research. I support clients with high-quality technical analysis, data-driven research, scientific writing, and coding across a wide range of academic and professional projects. My technical skills include data science, machine learning, statistical analysis, Python, R, Fortran, geospatial analysis, air pollution modelling, climate and environmental data analysis, and scientific visualization. I can help with data cleaning, exploratory data analysis, model development, regression analysis, machine learning workflows, code debugging, automation, reproducible research pipelines, and interpretation of complex results. Alongside my technical work, I also provide academic writing, editing, proofreading, and research mentoring services. I help students, researchers, and professionals improve the clarity, structure, coherence, and academic quality of their work. This includes literature reviews, methodology sections, research proposals, dissertations, journal manuscripts, reports, presentations, and data analysis write-ups. I also specialize in improving and humanizing AI-generated texts. I can revise AI-assisted writing to make it sound more natural, original, academically appropriate, and aligned with the intended audience, while preserving the author’s ideas and voice. My approach is careful, reliable, and detail-oriented. I aim to deliver work that is technically accurate, clearly written, and suitable for academic, professional, or publication purposes. Whether you need support with data analysis, coding, research design, scientific interpretation, academic writing, or editing, I can help turn complex ideas and datasets into clear, polished, and meaningful outputs Some of my previous client's feedback: "He has great knowledge and provide the information which I need immediately" "He is really easy to contact and he did a great job" "The job Nosha completed was excellent. He was very easy to work with, understood perfectly what I needed and was always available to talk about the project. He completed the work ahead of time and with very high quality. I fully recommend him" "He understood the job very quickly and did exactly as per requirement. Submitted on time. Punctual. And knows his work well. Very happy with his work." "He is a real creative and resourceful software engineer. He is very professional. I really recommend him for any work" "Nosha did a good job and is a great self-starter. Did not have any questions and got the job as I asked. Would highly recommend him."

  • GIS
  • R
  • Scientific Literature Review
  • Environmental Science
  • Python
  • Data Analysis
  • Fortran
  • Academic Writing
  • Proofreading
  • MATLAB
  • Literature Review
  • Spatial Analysis
  • Copy Editing
  • Editing & Proofreading
  • Machine Learning
  • Geospatial Data
  • Microsoft Excel
  • SQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Overleaf
Jessica D.

Sete Barras, Brazil

$25/hr
5.0
7 jobs

I'm an Environmental Engineer with more then 10 years of professional experience across renewable energy, construction, and industrial projects in Brazil and Portugal. My core work has always combined two things: technical rigor and structured communication, managing regulatory documentation, coordinating with multiple stakeholders (regulators, contractors, clients), tracking deadlines and compliance requirements, and producing clear, accurate reports under pressure. That combination translates directly into strong administrative, analytical, and organizational support. Day to day, my engineering work has meant: managing complex documentation and approval workflows, tracking permits and deadlines across multiple projects at once, coordinating between teams and external parties, and maintaining meticulous, audit-ready records, the same skill set that makes for excellent virtual assistance, data organization, research, and process support in any industry. At Riportico Applus+ Europe and CJR Renewables, I managed environmental licensing and compliance documentation for renewable energy and construction projects, liaising directly with regulatory bodies and keeping every submission, deadline, and stakeholder update on track. At Siemens, as Responsible Technical Engineer for three thermoelectric plants, I coordinated audits, certifications, and cross-team compliance reporting. I hold ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certifications, and I'm fluent in English and Portuguese (native), with working Spanish, comfortable communicating and documenting across languages and cultures. Whether the work is technical compliance, administrative coordination, research, documentation, or general virtual assistance, I bring the same discipline: organized, detail-oriented, deadline-driven, and comfortable working independently.

  • Environment
  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 14001
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Analysis Software
  • Environmental Science
  • Compliance Consultation
  • Quality Assurance
  • Testing
  • Manual Testing
  • QA Testing
  • QA Software & Testing Tools
  • Quality Audit
  • Software QA
  • QA Engineering
  • UL EHS Sustainability OHM
  • EHS Data MP-5
  • Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance
  • Environmental, Health & Safety Software
Nikhil B.

Bengaluru, India

$80/hr
4.8
54 jobs

I build production AI agents and LLM systems. 50+ projects across fintech, healthcare, media, legal tech, climate tech, and research: multi-agent systems, agent harnesses, evaluation systems for agentic workflows, Claude Code, Claude Agent SDK, OpenAI Codex, Hermes, Openclaw, MCP servers, RAG at scale, fine-tuning, and document AI. 7+ years shipping ML and AI in production. $700K+ delivered. Expert-Vetted (top 1%). 100% Job Success Score. I’m not new to ML. Before the LLM wave I spent years building classical ML and NLP systems in Python: search engines, recommendation engines, entity extraction, knowledge graphs, and predictive models. That foundation means I know when a problem needs an LLM and when it doesn’t. I’ve also cofounded two startups, so I think about business outcomes, not just model accuracy. Recent work: - N1 Healthcare: Led the Report Generation team on a medical AI platform. Built the agent harness that dispatches 13+ clinical report workflows across Claude Agent SDK, OpenAI Agents SDK, and Agno through a LiteLLM gateway, with a planner coordinating 20+ specialty agents. Report cost went from roughly $80 to $15-25 per run. Also worked on the upstream medical record parsing pipeline. - Newsweek (4+ years): 15+ AI applications and 6 Azure Function Apps used daily by non-technical editors. Cosmos DB vector search with Reciprocal Rank Fusion hybrid ranking on 3072-dim embeddings, MCP servers exposing agent tools to Copilot Studio, automated article-to-video pipeline at 95%+ success. A live 30-day window measured 497 editorial hours saved at 15.8% AI adoption. Trained editorial staff to run the systems without developer support. - Stratifi: Built the AI layer on a Django + Postgres backend. Dual-LLM PDF extractor (GPT-4o + Gemini) at 95%+ accuracy on 50+ page brokerage statements, 10-30 positions/second, with a 24-document eval harness gating prompt changes. Multi-agent financial chatbot routing across 4 market data sources, plus a 4-layer portfolio optimization agent and a Lambda support agent with tool calling. Elasticsearch hybrid search over millions of securities. - CGIAR: Research impact assessment processing 9,166+ records with 6 fine-tuned GPT-4o-mini variants, GPU-accelerated PDF layout detection with Detectron2, 3-tier evidence extraction at 50 concurrent operations. - Adoro: 7-stage AI automation pipeline for marketing, turning a week-long manual process into under an hour, processing 100K+ items per run with 3-pass LLM extraction (initial, reflection, self-reflection). - ClimateX: Web crawling and location intelligence pipeline with Flair NER for entity extraction, dual geocoding APIs, and proximity-based deduplication. - Accelchain: Smart contract vulnerability detection covering 37 SWC vulnerability types with vector-DB retrieval over 33,488 known patterns, RAG plus few-shot plus Chain of Thought for explainable remediation. - SynMax: NLP pipeline processing 400,000+ historical records with LongT5 fine-tuned at 16K context, 16-category document classification, cross-document entity linking across court records, deeds, and financial documents. - Epitome (cofounded): HR Tech B2B2C platform with custom Word2Vec on millions of LinkedIn profiles, ArangoDB knowledge graph modeling O*NET across 20+ edge collections, entity resolution cascade (exact, fuzzy, embedding, LLM), Elasticsearch candidate search, 40+ REST endpoints. Core capabilities: AI Agents and Orchestration, Agent Harnesses, Agent Evals, Multi-Agent Systems, Claude Agent SDK, MCP, LLM Fine-Tuning and Post-Training, RAG and Hybrid Retrieval, Document AI and OCR, Production ML and Forecasting, NLP and Knowledge Graphs, Data Pipelines and ETL, Cloud Infrastructure, and API Development.

  • AI Agent Development
  • Large Language Model
  • Retrieval Augmented Generation
  • Claude
  • OpenAI API
  • Gemini
  • LLM Prompt Engineering
  • AI Model Training
  • Generative AI
  • AI App Development
  • Machine Learning
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Data Science
  • Knowledge Graph
  • Vector Database
  • PyTorch
  • Elasticsearch
  • API Development
  • Python
  • Full-Stack Development
Jordan F.

Calgary, Canada

$75/hr
5.0
80 jobs

Environmental Policy Specialist with more than 10 years of experience working for NGOs and non-profits in the area of sustainable development and conservation. I hold a BA in Environmental Geography, Msc. in Sustainable Environmental Resources Management, and MSc. in Integrated Science and Technology. Currently working on a PhD in Environmental Policy and Ecology. I am a former Fellow with the Energy Futures Lab and founded Treebridge Conservation, which focuses mainly on carbon offset project development but also offers sustainability consulting, grant proposal writing for sustainable tech, and content writing for environmentally-focused organizations. I have worked extensively in the field over my career, including with the Iwokama Center for Conservation in Guyana, Ecology Project International in Belize, and BlueMX in Mexico. My work has been published by the UN, Maclean's, CWF, IISD, and other outlets, in addition to ESG, CSR, and sustainability reports that I have been commissioned to write for SMEs and multi-billion dollar corporations in North America, Europe, and the MIddle East. Aside from my professional experience, I am a former student-athlete and current avid traveller. I am a very inquisitive person and need to explore and discover as much as I can, having lived in 11 countries on 4 continents. Immersing in foreign cultures is a great way to gain a better perspective of the world, and I try to do this as much as possible. My ultimate goal in life is to have a positive impact on the planet, however small, and foster scientific literacy as we move towards a better, brighter future.

  • Creative Writing
  • English
  • English Tutoring
  • Research Papers
  • Sustainable Energy
  • Teaching English
  • Environmental Science
  • Academic Writing

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Don't just take our word for it

What does an Environmental scientist do?

An environmental scientist investigates sources of pollution and land degradation to protect public health and natural ecosystems. This role combines field data collection with rigorous laboratory analysis to determine how human activities impact air, water, and soil quality. Professionals in this field design studies that measure environmental hazards and interpret the resulting data to recommend specific control measures. They translate complex scientific findings into actionable strategies for regulatory compliance and hazard abatement.

  • Design and direct technical studies that gather measurements from air, soil, and water sources to assess planned projects or existing contamination levels. This process involves selecting appropriate data collection methods and planning how observations will be recorded to ensure scientific validity and relevance to the specific environmental context.
  • Analyze collected data for quality and significance while interpreting relationships between industrial or agricultural activities and their ecological effects. Scientists use geographic information system software like ESRI ArcGIS alongside spreadsheet tools to map pollutant dispersion and identify trends that require immediate intervention or long-term monitoring.
  • Compile technical reports and oral briefings that communicate scientific results to stakeholders, regulatory bodies, and the general public. These deliverables often include recommendations for preventing further land degradation or controlling pollution sources, and they may support the creation of administrative orders or consent decrees required by environmental laws.

How to hire an Environmental scientist on Upwork

Step 1: Post a job

Define the specific environmental hazards or compliance needs your project addresses. The Job Post Generator powered by Uma™, Upwork's Mindful AI drafts a complete post from a few sentences describing your requirements. You can write a new post, update a saved draft, or reuse an existing post to start hiring immediately.

  • Specify required proficiency with ESRI ArcGIS for mapping pollutant sources and analyzing spatial data related to land degradation.
  • List necessary experience designing studies that collect measurements from air, soil, or water to assess public health risks.
  • Clarify if the role requires authoring technical reports for legal compliance or presenting findings to non-technical stakeholders.

Step 2: Evaluate candidates

Review portfolios for evidence of rigorous data analysis and clear communication of scientific results. Uma runs instant video interviews and builds shortlists with side-by-side comparisons to help you identify qualified specialists quickly.

  • Look for samples of technical documents that interpret relationships between human activities and environmental effects.
  • Check for demonstrated ability to validate data quality and draw accurate correlations from complex environmental datasets.
  • Verify experience using Microsoft Excel to synthesize large volumes of observational data into actionable insights.

Step 3: Interview your top choices

Discuss their approach to identifying pollutant sources and recommending control measures. Schedule and conduct interviews within Upwork Messages, which generates an immediate transcript and summary after each conversation.

  • Ask how they determine compliance with environmental laws when faced with incomplete or ambiguous field data.
  • Request examples of briefings where they translated complex laboratory information management system outputs for clients.
  • Evaluate their method for designing data collection protocols that ensure scientific significance and validity.

Step 4: Agree on scope and begin work

Set clear milestones for data collection, analysis, and reporting phases. Use Upwork Messages and the contract workroom for all communication, while identity verification, Hourly Payment Protection, hourly tracking, and project funds secure the engagement.

  • Define deliverables such as written investigations of environmental accidents or recommendations for pollution abatement.
  • Establish timelines for submitting oral presentations or technical portions of administrative orders and consent decrees.
  • Agree on specific metrics for assessing the quality of environmental impact studies before final approval.

Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this article. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.

The rates and information provided in this article are based on current data and industry sources available at the time of publication. Freelance rates can vary depending on factors such as experience, location, project scope, and market conditions. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research to confirm current rates and trends, as this information may change over time.

How much does hiring an Environmental scientist cost?

$800-$2,500 per project is a typical range for focused Environmental scientist work. Final pricing depends on scope, technical complexity, required integrations, source-material quality, revision needs, and the freelancer's experience level.

Site compliance review

$800-$1,500/project

Entry-level to mid-level
  • Documented findings on regulatory adherence
  • Compiled measurements from site inspections
  • Recommended steps for hazard abatement

Pollution impact analysis

$1,500-$3,000/project

Mid-level
  • Analyzed correlations between activities and effects
  • Evaluated potential public health hazards
  • Written summary of pollution sources

GIS mapping and spatial study

$3,000-$5,500/project

Mid-level to senior-level
  • Mapped environmental media using ArcGIS
  • Interpreted land degradation patterns
  • Generated maps showing pollutant spread

Regulatory documentation

$5,500-$8,000/project

Senior-level
  • Drafted technical portions for legal orders
  • Prepared data for administrative approval
  • Created presentation for public workshops

Remediation strategy design

$8,000-$12,000/project

Expert-level
  • Designed methods for data collection
  • Specified measures to eliminate hazards
  • Authored comprehensive prevention guidelines

Frequently asked questions

Is hiring an Environmental scientist worth it?

For most businesses, yes: hiring an Environmental scientist is worthwhile. These specialists identify pollutant sources and recommend control measures to protect public health and comply with regulations. They analyze data from air, soil, and water to guide project planning and risk mitigation.

How do I evaluate Environmental scientist candidates?

Review their technical reports to verify they interpret data validity and link human activities to environmental effects clearly. Ask for examples of how they used tools like ESRI ArcGIS or laboratory information management systems to design studies and collect measurements.

What deliverables does an Environmental scientist produce?

An Environmental scientist authors technical reports, oral briefings, and recommendations for pollution prevention. They may also draft technical portions of legal documents or investigate environmental accidents.

Which tools do Environmental scientists use for analysis?

These professionals use ESRI ArcGIS for geographic mapping and Microsoft Excel for data synthesis. They also rely on laboratory information management systems to track scientific measurements and observations.