NOTE: The work location for this position can be at any MoDOT office (Kansas City, St. Louis, Jefferson City, Springfield, Hannibal, St. Joseph, or Sikeston).

•  Develops and maintains a statewide program of innovations in program delivery, including coordinating with staff to identify, develop, and facilitate innovative options.

• Assists the division director in promoting the division’s programs, and driving and communicating results; represents the department in state and local technical meetings and research panels on policy and innovation programs.

• Works with statewide teams to develop statewide and local-level policy and innovation projects; identifies empirical trends and policy implications of innovative projects and programs and incorporates into project plans, working papers, and published materials.

• Writes, summarizes, and edits research findings and analyses into narrative and/or graphic form to be incorporated into discussion papers, surveys, and other publications and social media; reviews and edits work from team members and external contributors.

• Assists in writing proposals for future projects and grant applications submitted to federal agencies; develops Requests for Proposals for project and program deliverables for contractors, vendors, and consultants.

• Presents research and policy findings to internal and external partners, the general public, and media; authors a newsletter of division activities and program status updates.

• Collects, compiles, and summarizes trends and policy developments for presentation to internal and external stakeholders, including state legislative committees, university research panels, and private sector partners.

• Develops relationships with peer staff at government agencies and other organizations; builds and maintains a network with policy and research partners, internal planning partners, and external community stakeholders.

• Maintains knowledge of policy developments at the federal, state, and local levels in transportation and innovative policy.

• Performs supervisory responsibilities in a manner consistent with the department’s Affirmative Action Plan.

• Performs other responsibilities as required or assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

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

Sunday, January 8, 2017 • 9 AM – 12 PM • Washington, D.C.

Unsolved Mysteries: Have a hard-to-solve problem that needs to be solved?

We all are faced with difficult, hard-to-solve problems – so we have created an interactive workshop at the 2017 TRB Annual Meeting we hope will address the unsolved mysteries that vex transportation professionals at all levels of the organizations – from planners to modelers to analysts.  This workshop will present three intriguing, real-world problems selected from a pool of submissions before the workshop.  WE NEED YOUR HELP!   We are looking for real-world transportation problems that can be summarized in a case study from the perspective of an individual or project team.   The case studies should contain pertinent information on the type of problem presented, geographic context, who was impacted and the impact of not reaching a resolution.

The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2016 and submissions can be made using this on-line form at: http://adb50.github.io/analyze-this/   Those who submit ideas that are selected will be provided the opportunity to present their problem at the TRB Annual Meeting.

Last year, workshop attendees had an opportunity to solve one of three mysteries. Coca Cola was seeking corporate strategies to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips. The City of Boulder asked the group to explore repurposing travel lanes for multimodal projects. Lastly, the City of Edmonton had question about how to incorporate connected and autonomous vehicle technologies into the regional travel demand model.

Seal of the United States Department of Transportation. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) is pleased to announce the following opportunity:  Research and Demonstration Program Manager. Applications for this position must be in by Monday, August 15, 2016.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing, in close coordination with the ITS JPO staff, the research direction for the ITS program. This includes recommending research initiatives, monitoring relevant research, coordinating ITS research with other modes through venues such as Research Planning and Investment Coordination (RPIC) and may include University Transportation Centers (UTC), representing the ITS JPO in research forums, and coordinating with other ITS JPO staff to ensure seamless execution of projects from research, testing, technology transfer, and evaluation.

The Program Manager is also responsible for leading specific research projects within the ITS JPO. The incumbent is a recognized ITS expert who often represents the Department on ITS technical program issues. You will also participate in a range of other ITS program technical and research activities involving other DOT and Federal organizations and other agencies, such as the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and Department of Energy.

This is an exciting opportunity if you are experienced in analyzing and reviewing ITS research and deployments and adept at collaborating with public and private transportation stakeholders on the implementation, commercialization, and communication of ITS technologies.  Come join the ITS JPO team if you are passionate about advancing tomorrow’s transportation technologies today to create a safer, smarter, more efficient transportation system!

For additional information and to apply for this position, please use the links below:

Transportation Specialist, GS-2101-14/15 (Open to Status & VEOA Applicants)

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/446638200

Transportation Specialist, GS-2101-14/15 (Open to All U.S. Citizens)

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/446638600

To learn about applying for careers at U.S. DOT please visit this link

The latest forecast from McKinsey Consulting on the disruptive trends unfolding in the automotive sector is very much along the lines of what I have been saying for quite a while.  It predictions comes packaged in a nice, easy to consume slick video presentation shown below.

Among the major disruptions, the ones I see having direct and tremendous social and roadsafety implications are ridesharing and vehicle automation, both aided by a confluence of technology and consumer aversion for driving/owning automobiles. Of course, the pace of disruption will be dictated by the Federal policies and that means our lawmakers must remain nimble and be willing to set aside their political ideologies to help the industry as it leaps forward.

Scenarios for growth of vehicle automation. Source: McKinsey

Check out the full report here

Photo by didbygraham

Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is looking for an energetic and efficient individual with initiative to manage the implementation of the Green Trucks China project, and be part of our global team to advance green freight and logistics worldwide.

The Green Trucks China project is the first project of SFC to catalyze the sector-wide adoption of proven technologies. SFC has selected China as the first market and will operate under the umbrella of the China Green Freight Initiative (CGFI) that is managed by the China Road Transport Association. SFC has selected a ”green tires package” consisting of high quality tires supplemented with tire maintenance and telematics as the first technology package, which could reduce 20 million tons of carbon dioxide from trucks in China annually.

The full job ad is available on www.smartfreightcentre.org

The simple math of owning a car vs. not owning one marks the paradigm shift in attitudes among generations. What was once not feasible – living without a car – has now become easy (at least in many cities across the US), thanks to location-based, on-demand transportation solutions such as Uber and Lyft. In a Business Insider article, Katherine Krug, summarizes her car-free life in San Francisco.

Since giving up my car (in Oct’ 2013) , I now spend an average of $572 per month on transportation, which comes to $11,352 per year in savings. On top of that, I get back my time, the most valuable thing of all. I save an average of 6.5 days per year — almost a full week! — to focus on the things I want to be doing, rather than serving my car.

What caught my attention is the last sentence – Katherine’s elation about not “serving” her car. If this is how the youngsters feel about automobiles there is no way anyone can make an argument for owning a car. Maybe we have turned a new page in America’s love affair with the automobiles (which, at times, seems untrue when you read about booming auto sales)?

In the backdrop of how not owning a car helped manage her mobility needs while also saving her a ton of cash, you would be astonished to see Sarah’s average monthly expenditures (and time associated)  when she owned the car (see table below). Read more here

Image via Business Insider

There is so much confusion and variation in the estimates/predictions when you hear the industry experts and forecasters talk about automated vehicles. Despite the challenges, there has been significant progress in the recent years and it is only getting more intense as the auto OEMs as well the tech geeks in Silicon Valley ramp up their investments and the research in the race to reach the holy grail.. Amidst all this chaos, comes this bold prediction.. 180,000 self-driving cars will be shipped globally by 2020.

Based on Frost & Sullivan estimates charted for us by BI Intelligence, there will be about 180,000 self-driving cars shipped globally by 2020. The market research firm adds that “you are likely to commute in autonomous cars” by 2025, which is a pretty bold statement considering that’s only a decade from now. 

And of course the source article doesn’t clearly articulate whether it is all Level 4 autonomy (no human input needed for operation)?  Do you agree with this prediction? Click here to read the article

Image Courtesy: Business Insider

Steps and Instructions: 

1. Technical Papers

   Papers should address technical subjects as well as the institutional, policy, business and economic aspects of ITS. All papers must be original and report on recent, significant and substantive achievements. All papers must relate to one of the eight main topics provided.

   Papers must be submitted as final, be at least six pages and no longer than 12 pages single spaced. Technical papers will be reviewed by a peer panel that will look for quality, relevance, and significance of the findings.

2. Guidelines for Paper Submission

   • The deadline for submitting papers is Friday, February 6, 2015. Papers will not be accepted after this date. This deadline will not be extended.
   • Submitted papers must be in final form and follow the formatting instructions outlined here.
   • Papers must be submitted as final, be at least six pages and no longer than 12 pages single spaced.
   • Graphics are encouraged to enhance the presentation of the technical material.
   • Authors may submit up to three papers.
   • Papers may have up to five listed authors. Please note only the presenting author will be listed in the 2015 ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition Final Program.
   • To help organize the technical sessions, please accurately specify the topic area that best describes the subject of your paper.
   • Upon submission, the primary author will receive a confirmation email.
   • If a paper is accepted, the primary author will be informed by mid-March 2015.
   • If the paper is conditionally accepted, the author must make sufficient changes to the paper, suggested by the reviewer, and resubmit the revised paper through the online portal by April 3, 2015.
   • Papers of a predominantly commercial nature will not be selected for presentation.
   • Presenting Authors must be registered for the 2015 ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition by April 24, 2015 or their paper will be withdrawn from the program.
   • Please note that English is the official language of ITS America’s Annual Meetings. Papers not submitted in English will be automatically rejected.

   For more detailed information on submissions, see the Call For Papers brochure.

   For complete 25th Annual Meeting Paper Formatting Instructions, see
   Formatting Instructions.

3. Technical Support

For help in submitting an abstract online, Contact technical support.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Photo by cogdogblog

The Federal Highway Administration plans to produce deployment guidance in 2015 on connected vehicles to transportation infrastructure owner/operators.  Tell us what would best support decision making and deployments at the state and local level.

National Associations including AASHTO, ITE and ITS America are working together to form a Vehicle to Infrastructure(V2I) Coalition.  What type of organization will best meet your needs?

Please provide comments based on the materials distributed on these topics at the September 12, 2014 public meeting including the initial draft guidance, a handout on the proposed coalition, and the list of supporting V2I products/tools under development. The V2I Deployment Guidance Draft is an initial draft document. USDOT is seeking feedback from State and local Departments of Transportation, transit operators, other operating agencies, and infrastructure owners who are starting to plan for the deployment and use of connected vehicle technologies in their area. Any interested parties may provide comments on the initial draft guidance through Friday, November 14, 2014.

Questions to Consider on the Proposed CV Guidance

• Will the topics covered in the proposed guidance and the companion products being developed provide you with enough support to successfully deploy connected vehicle technologies in your area?
• Are there additional tools, training, or resources that you would like to see developed?
• Any other concerns/comments?

Questions to Consider on the V2I Deployment Coalition

• What are your thoughts about the structure of the proposed coalition?
• How should associated organizations’ and agencies’ leadership be involved?
• What challenges are likely to arise and need to be addressed?
• Any other concerns/comments?

Review source materials and provide comments at: http://www.its.dot.gov/meetings/v2i_feedback.htm by Friday, November 14, 2014.