Project Manager – Human-Centered Transportation (HCT@CU)
About The Position
Millions of moments start at CU Denver, a place where innovation, research, and learning meet in the heart of a global city. We’re the state’s premier public urban research university with more than 100 in-demand, top-ranked bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. We partner with diverse learners—at any stage of their life and career—for transformative educational experiences. Across seven schools and colleges, our leading faculty inspires and works alongside students to solve complex challenges and produce impactful creative work. As part of the state’s largest university system, CU Denver is a major contributor to the Colorado economy, with 2,000 employees and an annual economic impact of $665 million. To learn more about how CU Denver helps learners meet their moment, visit ucdenver.edu. The Professional Research Assistant (PRA) serves as the project manager for the Human-Centered Transportation at CU Denver (HCT@CU) initiative. This position provides research coordination, project management, and operational support for a portfolio of interdisciplinary, externally engaged research projects. The PRA collaborates with the Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PIs, and senior personnel to manage multiple concurrent projects involving municipal, regional, and national partners. Responsibilities include coordinating project activities, overseeing data acquisition, IRB applications, and other regulatory compliance, supervising student researchers, and supporting research development and external funding efforts.
Requirements
- Doctoral degree (PhD) in Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Transportation, Public Health, Data Science, or a closely related field.
- Experience managing research projects or complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
- Experience coordinating work across interdisciplinary teams.
- Experience working with external partners such as public agencies or community organizations.
- Experience with data management, analysis, or visualization.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical reporting.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with externally funded research (e.g., NSF, USDOT, NIH, or similar).
- Experience contributing to grant or proposal development.
- Familiarity with transportation data, GIS, Python, R, and related analytical tools.
- Experience supervising or mentoring students or research staff.
Responsibilities
- Manage multiple concurrent research projects, including timelines, deliverables, and coordination across faculty, staff, student employees, and external partners.
- Serve as primary point of contact for partner-driven research requests.
- Coordinate meetings, track progress, and ensure timely completion of project deliverables.
- Contribute to research activities including study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
- Support preparation of reports, publications, and presentations.
- Develop and maintain project datasets, documentation, and reporting systems.
- Prepare and coordinate project reports, briefs, and other deliverables for sponsors and partners.
- Ensure data quality, consistency, and compliance with sponsor requirements.
- Support dissemination of research findings through written materials, HCT@CU website and social media content, and other communication channels.
- Supervise and coordinate the work of a Graduate Research Assistant and undergraduate student researcher.
- Provide guidance on project tasks and professional development.
- Support collaboration with external partners, including participation in meetings and coordination of joint activities.
- Assist in maintaining and expanding research partnerships.
- Assist with preparation of proposals and supporting materials for external funding.
- Contribute to development of preliminary results and research materials for future submissions.
Benefits
- The University of Colorado Denver provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.
- See Eligibility Matrix.
- Benefits\: https\://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits
- Total Compensation Calculator\: http\://www.cu.edu/node/153125
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
Number of Employees
1,001-5,000 employees
