If you are interested in taking up a deep dive on future of mobility and get paid for it, this is definitely for you.

Details

The Urban Transport & Energy Group at UCL Energy Institute invites applications for a fully funded three-year PhD studentship. It will covering UK/EU fees plus stipend to focus on the development of the demand components of an advanced transport and energy activity based model able to simulate the multidimensional impacts of new mobility services on travel behaviour, traffic congestion, and energy consumption.

 Supervisors: Dr Maria Kamargianni, Lecturer in Energy & Transport, UCL EI; and Prof. Andreas Schäfer, Professor in Energy & Transport, UCL EI

• Title: PhD Studentship in Travel Demand Modelling, Mobility as Service & Big Data
• Stipend: approx. £16,500 & UK/EU fees & Annual research budget of £1000 and you will also be able to apply for additional funding to UCL schemes to cover extra costs of training and travel.
• Start date: September/October 2017
• Funding duration: Three years
• Eligibility please check: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility/

Person Specification

The project is well-suited to a highly-quantitative individual with strong mathematical, data handling and computing skills. Students should have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject or a closely-related discipline, awarded with first-class or upper second-class (2:1) honours, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard from a recognised higher education institute. For those applicants with a first or 2:1, possession of a master’s degree in engineering, computer science, economics, geography or related disciplines is highly desirable.

• Excellent analytical and computing skills. Passionate about data analysis, modelling, programming and conducting research.
• A MSc degree in transport engineering, big data analysis, machine learning, software development, geography, economics or other relevant transport or computer science disciplines.
• Candidates without a master’s degree may be admitted in exceptional cases where suitable research or professional experience can be demonstrated.
• Knowledge of relevant programming languages or statistical software (such as Python, C++, R, MATLab)
• Ability use own initiative, prioritise workload, and be a fair team player
• Good interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written)
• A high level of attention to detail in working methods
• Interest in the challenges of the Transport sector of the 21st century

Application Procedure

Stage 1 – Pre-application documents – (1) CV, (2) academic transcripts, and (3) one-page personal statement outlining motivation, interest and eligibility for the post – should be emailed directly to Mae Oroszlany: e.oroszlany@ucl.ac.uk.

Stage 2 – Following the interview, the successful candidate will be invited to make a formal application to the UCL Research Degree programme. Further guidance will be provided.

You will also have to meet the UCL’s English Language requirements.

Informal enquiries on the content of the research topic should be emailed to Dr Maria Kamargianni, m.kamargianni@ucl.ac.uk

Deadline for application:  05 May 2017

Interviews week starting 15 May 2017

Spotted this announcement below in an email from a List-serve:

———————————————————————————————————

I am looking to recruit one or more talented individuals for a funded PhD in travel forecasting and data science, starting in Fall 2017. Specific areas of interest include:

• Evaluating and improving travel forecast accuracy.
• Using passively collected “Big Data” to measure transportation project impacts and model performance.
• Advancing reproducibility and interchangeability in regional and statewide transportation models.

Qualified individuals may have a background in civil engineering, geography, urban science or a related field. They will bring competence in software development or data visualization and a passion for transportation problems.

The Transportation Engineering and Data Science lab (http://transportlab.net/) is a part of an active and growing transportation group in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky. We work in close collaboration with the Kentucky Transportation Center, which serves as the research arm of the state Transportation Cabinet.

We are located in beautiful Lexington, Kentucky, a vibrant small city with the nation’s first urban growth boundary. Lexington is famous for bourbon, bluegrass and basketball, and offers easy access to hiking, rock climbing and other recreational opportunities.

Please email me at greg.erhardt@uky.edu to express interest or with any questions.

Kind Regards,

Greg

Gregory D. Erhardt, PhD, PE
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky
261 Oliver H. Raymond Bldg., Lexington, KY 40506
859-323-4856 (office), 859-699-1761 (mobile)
greg.erhardt@uky.edu

http://transportlab.net/

Emerging Leaders in Transportation fellowship – Image courtesy: NYU Rudin

The Emerging Leaders in Transportation fellowship program aims to enhance the toolkit of early-career employees to make transportation more efficient, effective and people-oriented.

In this competitive fellowship program, participants will learn from top transportation and management professionals to enhance leadership skills, communication techniques and policy work to bring innovative ideas into practice.

The 2016 program will take place on December 1 and 2. The agenda includes:

December 1:

• A half-day leadership session, where emerging leaders will collaborate on long-term leadership goals
• A behind-the-scenes visit to a major transportation facility for hands-on learning about industry goals and challenges
• A networking reception with 2014 and 2015 Emerging Leaders cohorts

December 2:

• A half-day leadership session focused on developing innovative projects and ideas within an organization
• Lunchtime networking opportunities 

Discussion topics will include: leadership, innovation, communications, building support for innovation, and practical applications. Sessions will include talks from and with esteemed professionals and group discussions and exercises. Participants will develop plans to introduce innovative solutions or concepts within their workplaces.

View a recap of last year’s fellowship program here.

Apply using the form below or by clicking here.

Application Timeline:

• August 3: Application period opens
• September 15: Applications due
• October 13: Fellowship class selection announcement
• December 1-2: Fellowship program

Details:

• The Emerging Fellows program is open to transportation professionals with up to 10 years of experience.
• There is no cost for participating in the program.
• Applicants are welcome from any location; however, we are unable to subsidize travel or lodging for participants.
• No AICP or other continuing education credit is available for this program.
• Previous applicants are welcome to re-apply. Past participants are ineligible.

If you have questions about this program, please email rudin.center@nyu.edu.

This program is supported by a grant from the University Transportation Research Center.

Fascinating interview and congrats to winning team.  Very exciting to see the young engineers take to building radically new transportation systems/concepts like Hyperloop that will transform the future of mobility/transportation! Graduate student Chris Merian, chief engineer for MIT’s Hyperloop team, speaks with Radio Boston’s Meghna Chakrabarti about the team’s success in the recent Hyperloop contest

“…really cool engineering challenge that we are really passionate about, and seeing our hundreds of hours of work rewarded like that was really, really nice”

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THE 2016 HAYS OUTSIDE THE BOX COMPETITION IS OPEN!

The leading public transportation ideas competition
January 9, 2016 | 5:00pm – 8:00pm | Arlington, VA

Click here for competition submissions forms

Register for the Outside the Box Conference

Register for the 2016 Transportation Camp

The Hays Transportation Innovations Conference hosted by George Mason University School of Public Policy (and sponsors), seeks to support innovative and “outside the box” solutions to challenges in transportation.

In the world of transportation and transportation challenges, it is imperative that we foster the development and implementation of new ideas. Instead of offering the same old solutions–turning the proverbial wheel, but not moving forward– we challenge you to think creatively and offer “outside of the box” solutions to complicated transportation policy challenges. So how can you push that wheel forward? How can you effect change?

First prize: $10,000
Second prize: $5,000
Third prize: $2,500

We welcome all thoughtful, innovative and diverse ideas…so inspire us!

Age restriction lifted. Conference Date is evening of Transportation Camp – Sat. Jan. 9th

Follow us on Twitter @GMUOutsideBox
This competition, a memorial tribute, has been made possible through the generosity of the family of Cameron Rian Hays, an “outside the box” thinking 2011 Master’s graduate of the George Mason University School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs.

Timeline:
October 6, 2015 – Hays Outside the Box Competition opens
November 30, 2015 – Submissions Deadline (midnight)
December 15, 2015 – Top 3 Finalists Selected
January 9, 2016 – The Hays Outside the Box Conference

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is sponsoring a paper competition for university students to propose research projects using the SHRP 2 Safety Data, the Naturalistic Driving Study data, and Roadway Information Database. Abstracts should be submitted electronically toSHRP2@nas.edu and are due on September 11, 2015.

Selected students will be invited to present their research at a special poster session at the 2016 TRB Annual Meeting, January 10-14, 2016 in Washington, DC. The TRB Annual Meeting program is expected to attract 12,000 transportation professionals from around the world. In addition, selected students will be awarded the opportunity to write a paper for consideration of inclusion in a special edition of TRB’s Transportation Research Circular.

View details about the competition. The application window is now open.

H/T @YPTransportation.org

As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words .. This one is worth a few thousand stories on transport policy, included as part of a message promoting the ITF report titled “Cycling, Health and Safety”  In a nutshell, as summarized by ITF, the more people cycle, the fewer fatal accidents. Every kilometer cycled benefits society.

Image Courtesy: International Transport Forum . Click image to read the report “Cycling, Health and Safety”

While we are at it, I recommend you to check out the video series on cycling, safety & health on ITF’s YouTube channel:

This is a highly recommended viewing material if you are a transportation professional  (or from any industry that touches up on transportation of people and goods). Why? Because it will help you understand what the future of transportation looks like and get you a glimpse of the challenges we will be tacking. Stimulating would be an understatement if you are a geek like me and this video gives you a lot to think about in terms of how to prepare yourself as a professional to operate/practice in this new paradigm.

Many of our decision-makers and old-school professional grunts, don’t have a clue of the seismic shift underway in the world of industry, dominated by the rapid advancement of automotive technology.  Advanced technology-driven concepts such as connected vehicles, automated vehicles, Internet of Things, etc, that are already appearing on the horizon, we are about to experience something special. and these industry experts, in a very adorable and casual fashion, discuss some of the emerging trends and pressing issues (i.e, cyber security, customer acceptance, etc) over a beer. You may have already witnessed glimpses of this future with Tesla pumping our over-the-air updates to the vehicles, much like the updates for your cellular phone, to improve their performance.    To summarize what’s ahead according to these guys,, the embedded software in a vehicle of tomorrow will be as much important as engine (or even more).   So, if you are a transportation professional better learn to think like a software developer (and get yourself exposed to some programming languages while you are at it).

Position Summary: The Bicycle Program & Transportation Communications Coordinator will coordinate the bicycle management program on campus, and identify opportunities to enhance bicycle safety initiatives. Based on benchmarking from other universities, recommend new and innovative bicycle programs for the campus community. Engage students and employees in bicycle planning. Serve as alternative transportation representative on university and/or locality committees reviewing bicycle programming and/or safety. Provide GIS data collection and mapping for alternative transportation and other Parking and Transportation units. Coordinate campus notices, news stories and special features for the Alternative Transportation program as well as other Parking and Transportation units for review by the division communication manager.

Photo by cbowns

Required Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in urban planning or public administration or equivalent training and experience. Demonstrated experience with alternative transportation modes (with an emphasis on bicycling). Working knowledge at the proficient level of GIS software, including ArcGIS, to record and analyze data, and make useful maps. Demonstrated experience analyzing and summarizing data in a variety of formats. Excellent customer service skills. Extensive computer experience and proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel. Experience using illustration and desktop publishing software such as Adobe CS/5. Ability to complete numerous projects and details simultaneously and accurately. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience working in university setting. Experience preparing press releases. Experience developing bicycle programs. Experience working with advocacy constituents.

For a complete listing of position qualifications, and to apply, please visit www.jobs.vt.edu, and search for posting SW0150063. Review of applications will begin 2/09/2015.

Click here to learn more and to apply

via CNN

With plunging oil prices, the consumers are clearly thrilled but the oil producers, particularly OPEC, not so much.  This video below and the image, courtesy of CNN, clearly explains the gigantic complexities that impacts the price of oil. With $2/gallon already in some parts of the US, the current geopolitical scene will get even more volatile in the months ahead.

Image courtesy: CNN Money

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• An Exclusive Interview With Iran’s Oil Minister for Cnn Ireport
• Oil prices fall ahead of OPEC meeting