Available Position: Travel Demand and GIS Modeling Postdoc focus on EV Infrastructure

About us

The Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle (PH&EV) Research Center launched in early 2007, with the support of the California Energy Commission’s allocation of Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) funds for transportation research. The Center collaborates closely with California 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 market for zero emission vehicles, the incentives and policy needed to meet the goals nationally and internationally, the demand for infrastructure and the energy and environmental aspects of the transition. 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 PH&EV Center and on ITS Davis, please see PHEV.ucdavis.edu and its.ucdavis.edu.

Position Description

The selected candidate will join a team investigating the future of mobility at the University of California, Davis. The postdoctoral researcher will work on travel behavior modeling research and will focus on developing models for electric vehicles usage and refueling locations as part of the Travel Demand Modeling and Geographical Information Systems team at the PH&EV Research Center. The position’s primary duties will be to update a system of spatial planning tools as part of a larger toolbox for planning for the installation of charging stations, to engage current projects addressing the issues of plug-in electric vehicles and consumer behaviors, and to develop knowledge and investigate topics relevant to the increased adoption and use of electric vehicles.

Qualifications

Candidates should have completed a doctoral degree in Civil Engineering, Transportation 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. The postdoctoral researcher must be able to work collaboratively with a team ranging from undergraduate research assistants to senior research faculty. The postdoctoral researcher must also be a skilled communicator, able to write clear academic papers or briefings as well as present their research to a variety of audiences.

Skills

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

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

In addition, the postdoctoral researcher must have excellent verbal and written English language communication skills. Because the center’s researchers employ a range of methods to address topics relating to the purchase and use of electric vehicles, experience in one or more of the following areas would also be beneficial:

  • Latent class analysis and structural equations modeling using tools such as Latent Gold, MPlus, or equivalent.
  • Market research, forecasting, and the adoption of new technology.
  • Survey design and implementation.

Interested applicants should email their CV to Dahlia Garas, dmgaras@ucdavis.edu