Senior Research Assistant I

Position Details Proposed Start Date 02/02/2026 Rank K1 - Senior research Asst I Working Title Senior Research Assistant I Position Number D93203 Representation AU - AAUP Faculty Type Fixed Term Research/Grant Fixed Term End Date: 01/31/2027 Position FTE Variable between .5 and FTE, starting at FTE Term of Service 12 month Position Summary Brief Description of PSU/School/Dept The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at is a multidisciplinary hub for all things transportation. We are home to the , the data programs and , the program, and PSU’s membership in . Our continuing goal is to produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education, seminars, and participation in research. Position Summary The Senior Research Assistant I (SRA I) will assist in the technical management of two transportation data projects that archive diverse transportation data sources and provide access and analysis through a website to transportation professionals. The SRA I will also help with:
- performing basic statistical analyses;
- managing and maintaining our databases; and
- coordinating and developing data collection procedures.

The two transportation data projects are and . PORTAL is the official Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan regional transportation data archive. It provides a centralized database that facilitates the collection, archiving, and sharing of data and information for the region’s transportation agencies. Data sources include 20- second granularity loop detector data from freeways throughout the Portland-Vancouver area, arterial signals, travel time, freight volumes, transit, incidence, VAS/VMS message, and weather data. Many of these data sources are received by PORTAL in real-time. BikePed Portal is a national non-motorized count data archive. Like PORTAL it is a centralized database that collects, archives, and shares data for public agencies, researchers, educators, and other curious members of the public.

Managing these two projects, and future transportation data projects, require that the SRA I assist with the management and performance of all back-end development. Some front-end experience is desirable but not immediately necessary. PORTAL and BikePed Portal use PostgreSQL to store data. The 28+ terabyte database consists of hundreds of tables varying in sizes from a few gigabytes to a few terabytes. The data comes from approximately 10 transportation agencies and is transferred via API and secure data transfer methods. The SRA I will assist with managing or maintaining the data feeds and the data in the database, and help build and design any additional data architecture needed to continue current and future data projects. In addition to the database, PORTAL and BikePed Portal provide web sites where users can access and visualize the data so some front-end experience or familiarity is desirable but not necessary. We expect this position to grow with increasing responsibility.

Position Duties/Responsibilities:

• Database and Website Management (90%)

The SRA I will be responsible for helping with managing or maintaining the data feeds and the data in the database. In addition to the database, PORTAL and BikePed Portal provide web sites where users can access and visualize the data. The SRA I will help manage and maintain primarily the back-end the web interface with some front-end work, and help in developing new analysis and visualization applications and tools for both projects.

• Other duties assigned (10%)

Other duties assigned at the discretion of the supervisor, which may include troubleshooting and some management of other web related projects that may come up. Primary Activity R - Research Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree with at least two years relevant experience.

• 2+ years of relevant data engineering experience:
• Deep familiarity with PostgreSQL (or other similar relational database) and
• Python.
• 2+ years of PL/SQL experience.
• Advanced understanding of working with big data (> 20 TB) and concurrently
• managing multiple data sources, database tuning such as changing database
• parameters, creating indexes, partitioning tables, and clustering data.
• Very good at creating complex queries and analyzing data.
• Experience with the following operation systems:
• 2+ years working with Linux
• Must know how to do many of the OS amid work such as installing packages,
• scheduling cron jobs, diagnosing problems, connection to servers remotely with
• SSH, running and restarting services, etc.
• Experience with back-end development environments:
• 2+ years of Django framework experience
• Working with Apache, NGINX, and uWSGI webservers
• Scheduling jobs using celery and supervisor
• Some familiarity with PHP
• CodeIgniter framework, 2+ years of experience
• Building and working with restful APIs
• Experience building technical documentation
• Strong written and communication skills.
• Strong teamwork ethic.

Preferred Qualifications Key Cultural Competencies

• Creates an environment that acknowledges, encourages and celebrates differences.
• Functions and communicates effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities and cultural backgrounds.
• Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement
• Adheres to all PSU’s policies including the policies on Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment and the Professional Standards of Conduct.

Environmental Stewardship Contributes to a culture of environmental stewardship, practices resource conservation, and actively works toward achieving long-term sustainability goals. Professional Standards of Conduct At Portland State University, all employees are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner which maintains a safe, respectful, and productive environment for faculty, students, administrators, and staff. It is the responsibility of every member of the Portland State University community to conduct themselves in accordance with our PSU Professional Standards of Conduct which are available at Total Compensation Range & Benefits Statement The starting annual salary for this position will be $67,200 (at FTE)

An excellent includes 95% premium paid healthcare; a generous retirement and vacation package; and reduced tuition rates for employee, spouse or dependent at any of the Oregon University System schools.

Please visit our to see the full value of our benefits package. Application Instructions Additional Information Examples of a work sample include work you have completed on a web site, or a link to your GITHUB.

Working Conditions:
This is an in-person (on campus) position with the possibility of hybrid remote/in-person work Additional Application Instructions (deadlines, etc.) Reference letters will be requested only if you are selected for further consideration. Does this position require the employee to drive a motor vehicle? No Background Check Required Yes