Senior Researcher: Transport Engineering/Planning at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

The CSIR has a vacancy for a Senior Researcher: Transport Engineering/Planning in the Passenger Transport Research Group, within the Smart Mobility Cluster. The incumbent will carry out high impact research and technological innovation in areas that include public transport service design; design and deployment of multi-modal transport networks; and the economics of transport systems. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead research projects;
• Lead the development of innovative technological interventions in transport systems and operations;
• Lead the development of toolkits, simulation/forecast models and technology packages for effective deployment in the transport sector;
• Establish, build, manage and maintain mutually beneficial and credible stakeholder relationships locally and internationally;
• Prepare reports, guidelines or other documents aimed at disseminating the results and outcomes of projects;
• Provide guidance to candidate researchers and interns;
• Raise personal, team and institutional profiles through publishing original research and presenting at national and international conferences and workshops.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

A minimum of honours degree in civil/industrial/transport engineering, transport planning or applied mathematics, with at least five years’ field experience in one of the following:

• Transport planning
• Travel surveys
• Transport modelling
• Transport policy review,
• Transport decision support systems
• A good understanding of the wider transport planning/engineering environment.
• Experience of modelling software such as SATURN, VISUM, EMME, CUBE
• Knowledge of microsimulation software such as VISSIM, PARAMICS, AIMSUN
• A master’s degree in a relevant field will be an added advantage;
• Must be eligible for registration with a relevant professional body;
• Good understanding of the transport sector in South Africa;
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills;
• Ability to continuously disseminate research outputs in the form of technical papers;
• Ability to innovate and generate new knowledge;
• Must have good communication, presentation and writing skills;
• Must have the ability to work accurately, efficiently and independently as well as in a team;
• Committed to providing high quality, affordable and innovative solutions and advice to clients and have good report writing, project management, supervisory, communication and technical ability.
• Ability to work in a methodical manner is essential;
• Ability to carry out strategic stakeholder interactions at all levels;
• Ability to effectively present ideas, concepts, plan and procedures;
• Demonstrated track record of the ability to work accurately, independently and efficiently.