Principal Research Scientist, Transportation Innovation

University of Kentucky; Lexington (VA); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work eligibility

Professional development support

Tuition waivers

Healthcare

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Collaborative environment

UK’s Exceptional Benefits

Job summary

The University of Kentucky is seeking a Research Scientist Principal/ KTC to join the Kentucky Transportation Center ( KTC ). This position serves as a technical specialist leading multidisciplinary transportation research initiatives that support local, state, and federal transportation agencies.

The role provides leadership across multiple research projects, supervises staff and technicians, develops methodologies, secures funding, and strengthens partnerships with transportation organizations

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree
• 3 years of related research experience

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, execution, and oversight of complex transportation research projects across a variety of subject areas.
• Supervise research scientists, technicians, and graduate students, including conducting performance reviews and providing professional guidance.
• Develop and author research reports, grant proposals, technical documentation, and academic publications.
• Lead efforts to secure external funding and manage proposal development activities.
• Oversee complex data collection, analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of research findings.
• Collaborate with research engineers and multidisciplinary teams on funded projects and new research opportunities.
• Manage client relationships and facilitate interactions between KTC and external transportation agencies and organizations.
• Coordinate project administration activities, including budgets, timesheets, travel documentation, invoices, and purchase orders.
• Represent KTC at professional conferences, research forums, and industry organizations.

Skills

Leadership

Grant writing

Communication

Data analysis

Project management

ArcGIS

JMP

Stata

SAS

Team leadership

Education

PhD

Tools

ArcGIS

JMP

Stata

SAS

Job description

The University of Kentucky is seeking a Research Scientist Principal/ KTC to join the Kentucky Transportation Center ( KTC ). This position serves as a technical specialist leading multidisciplinary transportation research initiatives that support local, state, and federal transportation agencies.

The role provides leadership across multiple research projects, supervises staff and technicians, develops methodologies, secures funding, and strengthens partnerships with transportation organizations