Graduate Research Assistant - Smart Mobility, Human-Centered Design & Emerging Technology (Waco MPO Smart Corridors Project)

University of Texas at Austin

17d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) will support research, design, and stakeholder engagement activities associated with the Waco Smart Mobility Initiative. The position will focus on quality-of-life research, emerging transportation technologies, educational resource development, qualitative interviews, and the creation of stakeholder engagement tools and future mobility scenarios. This role is ideal for a graduate student interested in human-centered design, information studies, user experience research, public policy, civic technology, community engagement, or emerging technologies. The Waco Smart Mobility Initiative explores how emerging transportation technologies can improve safety, accessibility, mobility, quality of life, and future transportation planning. A major focus of the position will be translating complex transportation and technology concepts into accessible and engaging resources for planners, stakeholders, policymakers, and community members. This is a temporary benefits-eligible position ending on December 31, 2026, with the possibility of extension depending on funding and project needs. TRB benefits are available.

Requirements

Current UT Austin graduate student.
Background in Information Studies, Human-Centered Design, UX Research, Public Policy, Community and Regional Planning, Architecture, Design, Social Sciences, Communications, or related field.
Strong writing, communication, and synthesis skills.
Experience conducting or supporting qualitative research, interviews, stakeholder engagement, or user research.
Ability to communicate complex concepts to non-technical audiences.
Ability to organize and synthesize information from multiple sources into clear insights.
Ability to work independently while collaborating across interdisciplinary teams.
Interest in emerging technologies and their impact on communities and public decision-making.
Must be authorized to work in the United States and meet all UT student worker eligibility requirements.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

Graduate student in the UT School of Information (iSchool) or related program.
Experience with human-centered design, design strategy, UX research, service design, design thinking, or participatory design.
Experience creating educational materials, toolkits, guides, visual communications, or stakeholder engagement resources.
Familiarity with transportation, mobility, AI, civic technology, smart infrastructure, or public-sector innovation.
Experience developing scenarios, journey maps, personas, storyboards, vignettes, or other design artifacts.
Experience conducting literature reviews and translating research findings for non-technical audiences.
Experience with qualitative analysis and stakeholder research methods.
Graphic design, information visualization, presentation design, or storytelling experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

Conduct research on transportation-related quality-of-life indicators.
Participate in stakeholder interviews and conversations with community organizations, researchers, and planning partners.
Help identify community priorities, concerns, and opportunities related to transportation and mobility.
Prepare research summaries, interview memos, and insights reports.
Conduct literature reviews on smart transportation and emerging mobility technologies.
Research technologies such as connected infrastructure, AI-enabled transportation systems, sensor networks, real-time analytics, and autonomous mobility.
Translate technical concepts into clear and accessible language.
Contribute to development of a Smart Transportation Technology Primer.
Support development of transportation and mobility scenarios, vignettes, storyboards, and engagement materials.
Create tools that help stakeholders understand future transportation concepts and provide meaningful feedback.
Contribute to design of educational and engagement resources.
Develop presentations, briefing documents, literature summaries, policy briefs, and educational materials.
Assist with project deliverables and stakeholder-facing resources.
Support preparation of reports and planning documents.
Analyze interview notes, stakeholder feedback, and qualitative research findings.
Identify themes, patterns, and recommendations.
Support development of findings memos and synthesis reports.
Participate in project meetings.
Support project planning and team coordination.