Research Scientist, Transportation Engineering

Job Description

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.
If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or
jobs@unr.edu
.
Job Description
The School of Civil, Chemical, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno is hiring a Research Scientist for their Transportation Engineering program. This is a full-time, non-tenure track position with an anticipated start date of November 1, 2026. Primary responsibilities will include:

Conduct and support research on traffic signal retiming at individual intersections and coordinated corridors using WaySync and other traffic analysis, modeling, and simulation tools.
Guide and mentor Ph.D. and M.S. students in their research and academic activities in areas including traffic operations and control, traffic simulation and modeling, data-driven transportation applications, and transportation system resilience.
Support the supervisor in managing laboratory research activities, coordinating research projects, and developing research proposals.
Identify federal, state, local, and other external funding opportunities and independently lead the development and preparation of research proposals.
Prepare technical reports, peer-reviewed research papers, presentations, and other research project deliverables.
Coordinate and communicate with research sponsors, local transportation agencies, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), and other project partners to support project implementation and delivery.
Collaborate with faculty members in the transportation engineering program on interdisciplinary research, proposal development, publications, and other scholarly activities.
Support other research and educational activities within the department as needed.

Required Qualifications
PhD in Transportation Engineering

Compensation Grade
University Instructor (Research Scientist)

To view the salary schedule for this position, please visit:
Salary Schedules
and select Administrative Faculty by Grade. Salary is competitive and commensurate with related education and experience.

Remarkable Retirement
Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University. With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow!

All permanent employees on an annual "A" or "B" contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program unless they are members of PERS of Nevada.
Perks of Working at UNR
Health insurance options including dental and vision -
Health Insurance
Generous annual, sick leave, long term disability and life insurance -
Faculty Benefits
E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers
annual or semester memberships and spouse/domestic partner membership options
.
E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center

Reno is proud to be a University town! Many local businesses offer discounts to WolfCard holders
Mountain EAP

supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University.
Faculty Senate
No state income tax!
Grants-in-Aid for Faculty Employees
The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee's spouse or domestic partner.
Faculty Grants-in-Aid

Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program
The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples' professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada.
Dual Career Assistance Program

Department Information
Shape the future and advance your career at the School of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) at University of Nevada, Reno College of Engineering. With a faculty and staff team of more than 40, CCEE offers ABET-accredited undergraduate programs and nationally recognized graduate programs in civil, chemical, and environmental engineering. Faculty and students advance sustainable infrastructure, environmental stewardship, biotechnology, renewable energy, water resources, and earthquake resilience. Home to the Earthquake Engineering Laboratory and leading water research centers, CCEE offer strong connections to industry and access to world-class outdoor recreation.
The CCEE is a teaching and research unit within the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. The school provides education and conducts research across a broad range of civil and environmental engineering disciplines. Its transportation engineering program has strengths in traffic operations and control, transportation safety, transportation systems modeling and simulation, intelligent transportation systems, transportation infrastructure, and transportation system resilience. Faculty and researchers collaborate with federal, state, and local transportation agencies, as well as other public- and private-sector partners, on sponsored research addressing current and emerging transportation challenges.

College Information
Join the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. We value faculty and staff as partners in our mission to deliver outstanding education, research and engagement. Our college seeks individuals committed to:

Engaging in impactful outreach
Providing state - of - the - art education
Fostering respect, inclusiveness and diversity

Nevada Engineering is a fast-growing college, with research expenditure that has doubled over the past nine years. Supported by an Engineering Research Office, the college recorded $24 million in expenditures in FY26 and offers professional development resources to ensure success. We offer bachelor's, graduate degrees and certificates through three schools:

Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Computer Science, Electrical, and Biomedical Engineering
Aerospace, Industrial, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering

Our specialized facilities include the Center for Civil Engineering Earthquake Research, Cybersecurity Center, the Nanofabrication Lab in the Davidson Foundation Cleanroom and the Nevada Water Innovation Institute. Located near the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center and offering ready access to the bustling California economy, Nevada Engineering collaborates with leading tech firms and advance research in robotics, AI, battery technology, aerospace, water systems and sustainable energy.

In Reno, you will find world-class outdoor recreation opportunities - including skiing, hiking, biking and water sports - in nearby Lake Tahoe and throughout the northern Nevada region.
Learn more at
unr.edu/engineering

Contact Information
Dr. Zong Tian at
zongt@unr.edu
Exempt
Yes
Full-Time Equivalent
100.0%
Required Attachment(s)
Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at
jobs@unr.edu
.

Please attach the following documents to your application
1) Resume/CV
2) Cover Letter
3) Contact Information for three professional references
4)Research Statement

This posting is open until filled
Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. This search will close without notice when a sufficient number of applications are received or a hiring decision has been made.

Posting Close Date
Note to Applicant
A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member's first day of employment.

References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.
Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.
The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person's age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairs