Assistant Professional Researcher - Shared Mobility Services and Travel Behavior

Position overview

Salary range : $93,400-$104,500

Application Window

Open date : September 5, 2025

Next review date : Friday, Oct 10, 2025 at 11 : 59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date : Saturday, Nov 1, 2025 at 11 : 59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The 3R Future Mobility (3RFM) in the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) is in search of a new hire of Assistant Professional Researcher to lead an independent and collaborative research program examining the adoption and frequency of use of new shared mobility services, their impacts on travel demand and behavior, and associated policy implications. This includes simulating behavioral changes in large-scale travel demand models and evaluating related transportation policy issues.

This position will be housed within the 3 Revolutions Future Mobility (3RFM) Program at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) and will focus on investigating disruptive trends in the transportation sector, particularly those related to the emergence of shared mobility services, vehicle automation, and electrification.

The candidate will coordinate with Dr. Giovanni Circella, Director of the 3RFM Program, Dr. Yongsung Lee, Co-Director of the 3RFM Program, and ITS Director at UC Davis, to assist with the overall strategic research scope in the area of future of mobility studies and research projects also in cooperation with other UC campuses and partner institutions. This includes developing innovative and policy relevant research questions, identifying potential funding sources and securing them, organizing and leading scientific studies, and supervising postdoctoral researchers and graduate students participating in related projects addressing the linkages among the adoption of new transportation technologies, such as shared mobility, connected and automated vehicles, and advanced air mobility, and broader factors including land use and transportation, modifications in urban growth patterns, changes in travel behavior across different population groups, and policies to promote decarbonization, sustainable mobility, and resilience.

Skills required for this position include extensive experience with travel behavior research; the development and application of travel survey methods for the collection of travel behavior and attitudinal data; the use of quantitative methodologies, such as multivariate statistical analysis methods and the estimation of (a) econometric, (b) structural equation, (c) discrete choice, and (d) latent class models; experience with qualitative research methods such as interviews, focus groups, and content analysis, and the ability to apply and interpret outputs from advanced travel demand forecasting models and evaluate the effectiveness of transportation and land use policies. Additional desirable, but not required, skills would include the ability to conduct big data analysis and apply machine / deep learning techniques for travel behavior analysis.

Unit : https : / / its.ucdavis.edu / research /

Qualifications

Basic qualifications

(required at time of application)

• Ph.D. in science, engineering, public policy, urban planning, transportation, or a related field, with at least three years of postdoctoral or equivalent research experience.
• Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications and policy-relevant research outputs like project reports or policy briefs.
• Proven expertise in designing and administering transportation surveys, conducting behavioral experiments, and applying quantitative data analysis, including econometric, structural equation, discrete choice, and latent class models.
• Proven expertise in designing and conducting qualitative studies, such as facilitating interviews and focus groups, and performing content analysis.
• Experience managing confidential data in compliance with IRB requirements.
• Proficiency in statistical and programming tools such as R, Stata, Mplus, and / or Python.
• Demonstrated ability to secure internal and external research funding and manage projects from inception through completion.
• Experience supervising graduate students and mentoring undergraduate researchers.
• Strong interpersonal, collaboration, and networking skills with diverse stakeholders, including state agencies, local governments, and industry sponsors.

Preferred qualifications

(other preferred, but not required, qualifications for the position)

Application Requirements

Document requirements

Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

Cover Letter

Statement of Research

Statement of Teaching (Optional)

Authorization to Release Information Form - This form is required for all applicants applying to academic recruitments. Please see the Employment Disclosure Requirements webpage for more information. Download, complete, sign, and upload the form .

Reference requirements

Apply link :

https : / / recruit.ucdavis.edu / JPF07280

Help contact : ztal@ucdavis.edu

About UC Davis

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled, "Authorization to Release Information" into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http : / / breathefree.ucdavis.edu / ).

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state for federal law.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at : http : / / www.uscis.gov / e-verify

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Job location

Davis, CA