What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Associate (internal) position at North Dakota State University?
Position Description & Details
North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) College of Business (COB) invites applications for a Transportation Research Associate position in efficient mobility for rural communities. This position is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers program through the Center for Efficient Mobility (CEM).
The selected candidate will evaluate emerging shared-use mobility in rural areas, travel behavior research, transportation vehicle cost data optimization, heavy vehicle crash analysis, and using machine learning models. The candidate will collaborate closely with faculty members involved in the grant and is expected to take initiative in planning, executing, and documenting research tasks with minimal supervision.
Required Qualifications:
- A doctoral degree in a transportation-related field completed by the time of hire.
- 5 years of academic or professional experience in transportation area.
- Record of conducting transportation research, with experience in conducting research in topics such as efficient mobility options for rural communities, shared-use mobility in rural communities, and working with databases such as NHTS, FARS, and state crash databases.
- Expertise in data collection methods, including surveys, interviews, case studies, and other stakeholder engagement strategies.
- Experience working with and supervising Business School doctoral students.
- Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Ability to independently lead research tasks, document progress, and contribute to final reports, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed journal publications.
- Experience in grant or proposal writing.
- Demonstrated excellent written communication skills with a proven ability to produce high-quality research reports, project documentation, and peer-reviewed research papers.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with statistical analysis tools and spatial analysis software, such as ArcGIS.
- A strong record of peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and participation in grant-funded research projects.
- Experience or interest in public transit research.
- Experience in grant or proposal writing.
Position Benefits:
The position offers a competitive salary and benefits package.
Application Process:
Applicants should submit the following materials to Dr. Ranjit Godavarthy at ranjit.godavarthy@ndsu.edu:
- Cover letter
- Curriculum vitae
- Contact information for three professional references