Location: Davis, California, UNITED STATES

Keywords: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Economics; Microeconomics; Mathematical and Quantitative Methods

Position Description

The Electric Vehicle Research Center at the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis is seeking a postdoctoral scholar with a PhD in Economics, Travel Behavior, or related discipline. The researcher will pursue policy-focused research on consumer vehicle purchase behaviors, vehicle use patterns, and vehicle charging/refueling issues. The researcher should demonstrate strong quantitative research skills working with discrete choice models and other advanced econometric methods as well as experience with big datasets.

The position’s responsibilities include: (1) designing, overseeing, and conducting research using quantitative methods, (2) identifying funding opportunities; leading and contributing to proposals to apply to those opportunities. (3) supervising, and mentoring students and other team members working on research projects, (4) writing articles for refereed academic journals, technical reports, and/or for conferences, (5) presenting research to a variety of audiences (academia, industry professionals, policy practitioners, etc.).

Job Requirements

• Applicants must have a graduate degree in economics, urban planning, transportation planning/engineering, public policy or a related field. At least one of these degrees must be a Ph.D. and one a transportation-related field.
• A record of publications in peer-reviewed journals, and some postdoctoral and mentorship experience is required.
• The applicant must possess expertise and experience designing and conducting research; experience developing statistical models to analyze data collected by surveys or other methods.
• The applicant should be competent in the use of at least one of the following statistical software packages: SPSS, STATA, R, or JMP.
• The postdoctoral researcher should have a record of publications in peer-reviewed academic journals and other publication venues.
• The postdoctoral researcher must have excellent verbal and written English language communication skills.
• The postdoctoral researcher must be able to work collaboratively with a research team ranging from undergraduate research assistants to research faculty.

Application Requirements

Letters of Reference (2); Job Market Paper; Cover Letter; CV Please submit your application (CV and cover letter) to Zohar Tal (ztal@ucdavis.edu )

Salary Range: $70,000

About us

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Research Center launched in early 2007, with the support of the California Energy Commission. Now, the EV Research Center collaborates closely with state and federal agencies, utilities, automakers, regulators, and other research institutions to provide the rigorous research and impartial policy analysis that are needed to meet the climate, environmental, and equity goals of our society.

Moving forward our research is focused on measuring, monitoring, and understanding multiple aspects of the quickly evolving markets for zero emission vehicles, the incentives and policies needed to meet the goals nationally and internationally, the demand for infrastructure and energy, the development of new supply chains, and environmental impacts of the transition to electric transportation.

The program receives support from industry partners, planning agencies and research foundations, and works in close cooperation with the federally funded National Center for Sustainable Transportation and other research programs at UC Davis. For additional information on the EV Center and on ITS Davis, please see ev.ucdavis.edu (https://ev.ucdavis.edu/) and its.ucdavis.edu (https://its.ucdavis.edu/).

Position Description

The selected candidate will join a team investigating the future of electric mobility at the University of California, Davis. The postdoctoral researcher will mainly work on survey design and implementation and modeling and analyzing the results related to transportation electrification as well as travel behavior modeling research. The postdoctoral researcher will engage in exciting projects addressing the issues of EVs and consumer behaviors, as well as develop knowledge and investigate topics relevant to the increased adoption and use of EVs.

The position’s general duties include: (1) designing, overseeing, and conducting research using both quantitative and qualitative methods, (2) identifying funding opportunities; leading and contributing to proposals to apply to those opportunities. (3) supervising, and mentoring students and other team members working on research projects, (4) writing articles for refereed academic journals, technical reports, and/or for conferences, (5) presenting research to a variety of audiences.

Qualifications & Skills

1) Candidates should have completed a doctoral degree in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering/Planning, Computer Science, Economics, Geography, or a related field at the time of hire. Candidates with strong multidisciplinary skills covering more than one of these areas are particularly encouraged to apply. Extremely well-qualified candidates with slightly different qualifications and/or research focus might be also considered under special circumstances.

2) The postdoctoral researcher must have a deep understanding of travel behavior, travel demand modeling, discrete choice modeling, including demonstrable experience in:

• Transportation issues, particularly those related to zero-emission vehicle transportation.
• Spatial analysis using tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS.
• Quantitative methods for data analysis using statistical software such as R, Python, STATA, or equivalent.

3) Because the center’s researchers employ a range of methods to address topics relating to the purchase and use of electric vehicles, experience in the following areas is also important:

• Market research, forecasting, and modeling the adoption of new technologies.
• Survey design and implementation.

4) The postdoctoral researcher should have a record of publications in peer-reviewed academic journals and other publication venues.

5) The postdoctoral researcher must have excellent verbal and written English language communication skills.

6) The postdoctoral researcher must be able to work collaboratively with a research team ranging from undergraduate research assistants to research faculty.

Preferred Skills

1) Experience in working with large datasets.

2) Additional academic, industrial training or other professional experience in managing projects.

3) Ability to obtain funding to pursue their research interests and goals, or at least demonstrated proposal writing skills.

4) Ability to lead a research team of graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and associates.

Application Procedure

Please submit your application (CV and cover letter) to Zohar Tal (ztal@ucdavis.edu)

References: 3 References required (contact information only), Letters of reference will only be solicited for finalists

Salary Range: $70,000

Job Summary

Direct the Sustainable Freight Research Program (SF) within the STEPS+ research framework. Provide technical leadership to the SF research team and manage grant-funded and contracted research projects. Ensure high quality and timely execution of all projects under SF purview. Manage a publications program related to projects. Conduct research directly as part of the program’s work effort. Work with colleagues to expand funding, including the supporting membership of SF. Oversee the SF budget and allocate funding to researchers and students. Manage researchers and identify needs for personnel changes or new hires as needed. Interface with SF members to identify new research activities and share information and research. Work with other STEPS+ team leaders to coordinate on research and organize workshops, Symposia, and other relevant events. Function with ahigh degree of autonomy, exercising independent judgment in selecting projects, methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.

Serve as an advanced technical specialist and provide leadership within the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) and participate in ITS strategic planning to guide the selection of future topic areas and to engage with collaborators, clients, and funders. Develop and maintain ITS expertise in advanced environmental freight vehicles, energy storage systems, propulsion systems, and fuels, along with logistic and intermodal systems at a regional, national, and global levels. Identify and manage proposal opportunities, develop proposals, and produce briefings to funding agencies, and participate in relevant conferences, technical events, and meetings. Serve as an advisor and team leader for participating staff and for teams of students to complete funded projects within ITS.

Department Purpose

The Sustainable Freight Research Program is a growing research and policy program in the Institute of Transportation Studies of the University of California, Davis. It is part of the STEPS+ research program and focuses on truck, rail, and other freight sectors. It includes research on both technologies and fuels as well as logistic systems. It covers topics related to decarbonization, reducing air pollutant emissions, and other sustainability factors. The Center receives support from a range of government and industry partners, planning agencies and research foundations, and works in close cooperation with the federally funded National Center for Sustainable Transportation and the other research programs at UC Davis.

Qualifications

Minimum

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, transportation/energy technology and policy, economics or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Personnel and budget management experience.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, with skills to draft, rewrite and edit professional correspondence, reports, donor communications and other materials.
• Strategic planning and evaluation skills to analyze, define, and assess problems, issues, and needs, and define needed actions.
• Development (fundraising) experience, with a working knowledge of the gift-giving process and stewardship.
• Experience using organizational, time management and event planning skills to organize and coordinate individuals and groups to develop collaborations and/or proposals/applications, and to plan large meetings, workshops, or conferences. Experience creating and/or writing presentations, informational documents, technical reports, and correspondence.
• Computer skills including word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentations, website, electronic mail, and internet.

Preferred

• Master’s or PhD in one of those same fields
• Experience managing and executing large, complex projects, and managing large contracts.
• Management of and outreach to organizations that interact with own organization.
• Proposal writing, including for large grant applications.

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Description

The Energy and Efficiency Institute at the University of California, Davis, is seeking one post-doc to lead research in the area of low-carbon materials. The post-doc will participate in, lead, and develop new research projects in designing sustainable materials with an emphasis on assessing environmental burdens and integrating environmental impact assessment methods with material performance. The post-doc will develop means to robustly assess local, regional, and global burdens from materials consumption The research will focus on cement-based materials (e.g., concrete), bio-derived materials (e.g., wood), alloys (e.g., steel), and/or polymeric materials (e.g., plastic).

Appointment length: Maximum 24 month, 100 % time
Salary: Between $60,000 and $72,000, commensurate with experience.
Job Location: Davis, California, USA
Anticipated start date: September 2023

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

(1) Oversee and conduct comprehensive data analysis including both qualitative and quantitative data.

(2) Develop and maintain online assessment tools.

(3) Identify funding opportunities; lead and contribute to proposals to apply to those opportunities.

(4) Write articles for refereed academic journals, for technical reports , and/or for conferences.

(5) Supervise, train, and mentor graduate students and other team members working on research projects.

Qualifications (at the time of application)

Required:

(1) Ph.D or equivalent International Degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Energy, or topic demonstrably related to decarbonization

(2) Research experience in techniques and policies related to low-carbon materials

(3) Record of high quality publications in academic journals and other publication venues.

(4) Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team, including the ability to efficiently and actively cooperate with other staff members within the organization.

(5) Strong English communication skills (oral and written).

Preferred:

(1) Besides the graduate study leading to the PhD, additional academic, industrial training or other

professional experience in the building sciences or closely related fields.

(2) Demonstrated ability to obtain funding to pursue their research interests and goals, or at least demonstrated proposal writing skills

(3) End-to-end experience with all aspects of research – development of initial research concept, identification of and planning for funding opportunities including forming competitive teams for funding applications, writing proposals, research design, data acquisition, occupant surveys, analysis, reporting, and stakeholder communication.

(4) Demonstrated ability to lead a research team of graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and associates.

Application Procedure

Please submit your application to Zohar Tal (ztal@ucdavis.edu)

References: 3 References required (contact information only): Letters of reference will only be solicited for finalists.