TREC Research Assistant

Position Summary

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University (PSU) is a multidisciplinary hub for transportation research and education. The Research Assistant position supports the TREC Director, Research Associates, and Program Managers by assisting in applied research projects, including data collection, management, and analysis; literature reviews; written and oral communication; and reporting to funding agencies. The role also helps develop research funding proposals.

• Conduct literature reviews, identifying and synthesizing research from academic journals, government reports, websites, and other sources.
• Gather data using predetermined protocols and methods such as surveys, observation (in‑person and video), interviews, focus groups, and secondary sources.
• Perform basic qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis.
• Prepare regular status reports for funding agencies.
• Draft and edit reports and articles on research projects.
• Manage simple websites that communicate project activities and outputs.
• Assist in preparing research funding proposals.
• Help with large in‑person TREC events, including set‑up, registration, and clean‑up; staff the information table.

• Master’s degree in a field directly related to transportation planning, policy, or engineering.
• Clear and direct writing style.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects to meet critical deadlines.
• Strong written and oral communication skills with a wide range of people and organizations.
• Collaborative approach and ability to work as part of a team.
• Flexibility to adjust work tasks and deadlines to meet changing priorities.
• Proficiency with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites, Calendar;
  Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint; and Adobe Acrobat.
• Knowledge of key multimodal transportation concepts.
• Experience with descriptive statistics and bivariate statistical analysis (e.g., t‑tests, Chi‑square) and creating tables and graphs to display quantitative data.

• Experience in data collection, including survey administration, interviews, and/or focus groups.
• Experience conducting literature reviews for research.
• Experience with data analysis and visualization software such as R, SPSS, Tableau, etc.

The starting annual salary for this position will be $68,016 at 1.0 FTE, with potential for negotiation based on experience and budget. Benefits include 95% premium‑paid healthcare, a generous retirement and vacation package, and reduced tuition rates for the employee, spouse, or dependent at any Oregon University System school.

Portland State University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category.