Postdoctoral Associate

REQUIRED:

Ph.D. in urban planning, transportation, public health, computer science, or related field (awarded within two years); PREFERRED:
Demonstrated experience in data analytics, experimental design, and community engagement; strong project management and communication skills; and field-based research and interdisciplinary collaboration experience.

9/1/26 start date.

To Apply:

Submit a single PDF to Prof. Chris Zegras (czegras) with cover letter, CV, and three professional references.

7/14/2026

POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE, Healthy Mobilities Research, to advance research in healthy mobilities under the supervision of Prof. Chris Zegras in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Mobilities is a core determinant of health, shaping physical activity, access to care, work, and social support. Transportation decisions influence emissions, safety, equity, and health outcomes, disproportionately affecting those with fewest alternatives. Working in Greater Boston with community partners and youth empowerment programs, will develop and test integrated measurement and simulation approaches to understand how design and planning decisions affect health and wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities are to design and test a measurement protocol combining wearable sensors, environmental data, and imagery-based route characterizations with surveys and interviews; conduct controlled testing to assess accuracy, feasibility, and participant burden; lead community-engaged research using Participatory Action Research methods to co-define research priorities and ensure equitable data governance; develop simulation prototypes (AR/VR) to engage diverse stakeholders in exploring design alternatives;

and contribute to grant writing, proposal development, and student mentorship.

The full job description is available, here.