Post Doctoral Research Associate -1

JOB PURPOSE:

Howard University’s University Transportation Center seeks a highly qualified Postdoctoral Research Associate specializing in structural health monitoring (SHM) of transportation infrastructure. The associate will lead and support federally funded projects aimed at developing and deploying advanced sensing, data analysis, and system‐identification techniques to assess the condition of

transportation assets.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY: NA

NATURE AND SCOPE:

Support transportation engineering research at Howard University. The role engages with internal faculty and researchers, as well as external partners.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Support the Center’s mission by managing and executing research activities on transportation infrastructure safety, research implementation, and technology transfer initiatives.
• Collaborate with internal faculty, researchers, and external partners to plan and carry out research to design, implement, and validate structural health monitoring (SHM) methods.
• Conduct field deployments; process large‐scale time‐series data; apply statistical, machine‐learning, computer vision, and signal‐processing methods to detect damage or degradation.
• Contribute to proposal writing, technical reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed publications.
• Facilitate workshops, seminars, and public engagement events related to transportation engineering.
• Assist in meeting all reporting requirements for sponsored research projects.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in structural health monitoring, system identification, and signal processing.
• Proficiency with system identification methods, structural dynamics, and programming environments (e.g., MATLAB, Python).
• Experience with statistical and machine‐learning techniques applied to time‐series or spatial data.
• Strong organizational skills: ability to manage multiple tasks, adhere to deadlines, and collaborate across disciplines.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a diverse research team.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Ph.D. in a scientific and/or research discipline related to the research projects.