Postdoctoral Research Associate-Urban Transportation Center

University of Illinois at Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Illinois at Chicago seeks up to three Postdoctoral Research Associates in the Urban Transportation Center. Successful candidates will engage in advanced research related to transit systems and transportation policy while working closely with faculty and students.

Benefits

Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance

Defined benefit pension plan

Tuition waivers for employees and dependents

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree completed within the last 5 years required.
• 3 years related research experience; 4 years preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills needed.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research studies and analyses on transit systems and transportation policies.
• Manage and deliver on funded projects while interacting with research sponsors.
• Guide and train lower-level researchers and students.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Data visualization (GIS)

Statistical analysis software (R, STATA, SPSS)

Education

Doctoral or equivalent terminal degree in relevant fields

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Associate-Urban Transportation Center

Postdoctoral Research Associate-Urban Transportation Center

Location: Chicago, IL USA

Requisition ID: 1035203

Posting Close Date: September 30, 2025

Salary: Thebudgeted salary range for this position is $50,000-$70,000.

About the University of Illinois Chicago

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities. UIC has over 300,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

Benefits eligible positions include a comprehensive benefits package which offers: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability & AD&D insurance; a defined benefit pension plan; paid leaves such as Vacation, Holiday and Sick; tuition waivers for employees and dependents. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits .

The Urban TransportationCenter (UTC) was established as a UIC campus unit in 1979. The unit has astrong research, teaching and service history and a long-range strategic plandesigned to position the UTC as the premier urban university center with afocus on transportation. Currently, the UTC is seeking up to three Post-Doctoral Research Associates at this time. While the application period will close on September 30, 2025, applicant screening will begin immediately and will continue until all positions are filled.

The Postdoctoral ResearchAssociate position is responsible for formulating and conductingresearch studies and analyses of research topics such as transit systems,transportation policy and evaluation, equity in transportation, involving newmethods while also pursuing new funding opportunities by writing researchproposals and serving as the researcher on funded grants at the direction ofthe Director, UTC, or other faculty/staff affiliated at UTC for many of theprojects. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will also contribute to the writingof research findings in the form of technical reports, journal publications,and conference proceedings.

Additional responsibilities will include the following:

• Manage and deliver on funded projects, interact with research sponsors, work with faculty, and supervision of student research.
• Serve as a liaison between the UTC Director and the students working at UTC. In doing so, the Post-doctoral Research Associate will also be responsible for training less skilled researchers on techniques, methods, and procedures.

This position contributes to the design, management, and delivery of research projects in collaboration with other researchers, including faculty and graduate students. This includes qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, and reporting on research results with minimal daily supervision.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the UTC Director and Associate Director to develop objectives and design of research projects, data collection procedures, and grant proposals. Conceptualize, initiate, and execute research goals for projects.
• Formulate, coordinate, and conduct advanced research studies and analyses. Perform complex data collection and refine study design. Analyze and interpret data and evaluate research results.
• Develop and write advanced, comprehensive protocols.
• Monitor project development on an ongoing basis. Propose and implement changes as needed.
• Contribute material, prepare results, and assist in the design and writing of research findings for publications, white papers and reports, presentations, grants, and other documents for dissemination and/or publication. Author and co-author articles for publication and present at scientific symposia and conferences.
• Guide, train and advise lower-level researchers and students on techniques, methods, and procedures.
• Assist with grant and manuscript submissions as needed.
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctoral or equivalent terminal degree (by start date) in public administration, public policy, urban planning and policy, civil engineering or related field completed within the last 5 years required.
• A minimum of 3 years related research experience required; 4 years preferred.
• Possess and apply advanced knowledge of research principles, concepts, practices, and methods required. Strong quantitative analysis skills preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills required.
• Experience with statistical and spatial analysis software (e.g., R, STATA, and/or SPSS), data management, data analysis, and data visualization (GIS) techniques required.
• Research background in planning, public transportation, transportation policy, transportation funding and finance, equity in transportation, travel behavior, or traffic engineering would be ideal. Any prior experience of working on projects about public transportation and equity preferred.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

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The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.