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Job Description

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) conducts research to save lives, time, and money and protect the environment. As one of six premier research institutes created by Virginia Tech to answer national challenges, VTTI is continually advancing transportation through innovation and has affected public policy on national and international levels. This position provides a hands-on opportunity to work with cutting edge vehicle and roadway lighting technologies through systematic deployment and testing. Watch this video to learn more about what it's like to work at VTTI! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj4VWviw5JA)
VTTI seeks a qualified and ambitious researchers with a strong background in either Engineering/Psychology with Lighting or Visibility specialization and Human Factors experience or Engineering/Statistics with safety analysis and/or transportation safety specialization including but not limited degrees in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Human Factors etc. The ideal candidate is an experienced researcher capable of supporting (as a research associate) or leading research projects (as a senior research associate) and working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams to improve transportation safety through cutting edge research.
This position independently plans, schedules, conducts, or coordinates detailed tasks as part of major transportation lighting and infrastructure safety projects. Work performed involves engineering practice but may include a variety of complex features such as conflicting design requirements, unsuitability of conventional materials, and difficult coordination requirements. The ideal candidate will contribute to research conceptualization, proposal development, and resource acquisition as well as interact with sponsors, interprets findings, prepare reports, and present results. Work will be tailored to the experience of the candidate but will primarily focus on transportation safety projects that include lighting, visibility, signaling, signage, traffic safety, accident databases, safety modeling (including safety performance functions and crash mitigation factors), roadway design, intersection and pedestrian safety, traffic control/operation devices, driver behavior, traffic theory and human factors. Work requires a broad knowledge of precedents in the specialty area and a good knowledge of and practices of related specialties.
Position is open rank for either at the rank of Research Associate or Senior Research, and offer of rank will be determined based on the successful candidate's commensurate experience.
Research Associate Rank Duties and Responsibilities:
Assist in the development of proposals and research plans
Research and assist in the compositions of literature reviews.
Help organize, attend, and participate in project meetings
Assist with the conceptualization and creation of work plans, protocols, and procedures.
Coordinate and collaborate with subcontractors and interface with stakeholders and sponsors as required
Analyze data including preparing SAS, Matlab, ArcGIS and SQL analyses
Interpret results and develop robust conclusions
Directions given and received:
Work with peers, research assistants, undergrad students, technicians and support staff to coordinate project tasks.
Must be able to work effectively independently with oversight as well as within multidisciplinary project teams as appropriate.
Senior Research Associate Rank Duties and responsibilities:
Act as Principal Investigator on funded research projects

Lead the development of proposals, research plans, and composition of literature reviews.
Write, review, and critique proposals, research plans, and final reports
Organize, attend, and participate in project meetings
Conceptualize and write work plans
Manage project activities and execution of research plan
Respond to requests for proposal and obtain funding with the goal of providing sustainable support for themselves and other researchers
Maintain existing sponsor relationships, develop new relationships with potential sponsors, and solicit research funding
Analyze data including preparing SAS, Matlab, ArcGIS and SQL analyses
Present research findings
Collaborate and participate in Industry conferences, seminars and committees
Collaborate on research studies as needed
Present and publish research findings
Directions given and received:
Independently perform most assignments with instructions as to the general results expected
Receive technical guidance on unusual or complex problems and supervisory approval on proposed plans for projects
Supervise students, junior researchers and waged employees as needed

Required Qualifications

Research Associate rank will require a master's degree in master's degree in Engineering/Statistics with safety analysis and/or transportation safety specialization including but not limited to degree in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Human Factors, etc.
Senior Research Associate rank will require a PhD in Engineering/Statistics with safety analysis and/or transportation safety specialization including but not limited degrees in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Human Factors etc. (candidates with an advanced degree and significant experience in lieu of PhD may be considered).
General:
Excellent communications and organizational skills
Strong experience in transportation safety related research or lighting and visibility research
Ability to lead project teams and oversee project schedule, budgets, and deliverables
Demonstrated strong writing and organizational skills
Solid understanding of engineering principles needed to analyze, verify, and interpret work
Strong GIS based Data Analysis experience.
Strong statistical methods including experience in the analysis of large-scale data sets from multiple sources using a variety of tools including but not limited to SAS, MatLab, ArcGIS, SQL Server

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge on transportation safety tools such as the highway safety manual, the manual on traffic control devices, Illuminating Engineering Recommended Practices, crash modification factors, safety performance functions, and strategic safety plans is extremely desirable.
Previous project management experience including coordinate technicians, researchers, undergraduate and graduate level students

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

Research Associate rank starting at $70,000, Senior Research Associate rank starting at $95,000; commensurate with experience

Hours per week

40

Review Date

7/22/2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance.  These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.