Post-Doc Rail Center for Research Enhancing Short-line Transportation (Rail CREST)

The Pennsylvania State University • Altoona, PA

15d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Rail Center for Research Enhancing Short-line Transportation (Rail CREST) at Penn State Altoona is seeking a Research Scientist/Post-Doc. Rail CREST is a federally funded research center focused on developing affordable technologies, workforce development programs, and safety innovations for the U.S. short-line railroad industry. The successful candidate will play a key leadership role in supporting the center's strategic growth and daily operations, coordinating research across multiple institutions, and contributing technically to projects in rail infrastructure monitoring, sensing technologies, data analytics, and intelligent transportation systems. This is a term position, with continuation dependent on university need, performance, and funding.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Railroad Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated research expertise in rail infrastructure, structural health monitoring, sensing systems, instrumentation, or transportation infrastructure analytics.
• Experience working with data-driven technologies such as sensor networks, machine learning, or AI-enabled infrastructure monitoring.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to coordinate multi-institutional research projects.
• Ability to work effectively with industry partners, government agencies, and academic collaborators.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with railroad infrastructure systems including track, bridges, or railway operations.
• Experience deploying or managing field instrumentation systems or sensing networks.
• Experience working with federally funded research programs (e.g., FRA, USDOT, NSF).
• Interest in technology transfer and industry collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Support the strategic planning and daily operation of the Rail CREST Center.
• Coordinate research activities across multiple partner universities and industry collaborators.
• Assist with the development of new research proposals and technology transfer initiatives.
• Lead and contribute to research projects related to rail infrastructure sensing, structural health monitoring, instrumentation systems, data analytics, and artificial intelligence applications in rail transportation.
• Manage or oversee field deployments, laboratory testing, and instrumentation development.
• Assist with industry-facing testing, demonstrations, and commercialization activities related to rail technologies.
• Supervise research staff, graduate students, and project teams.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits package for full-time employees
• Postdoctoral benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree