A complete application consists of:

• An application
• A current resume/CV
• Transcripts – For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. Selected candidate may be required to provide proof of completion of the degree before the appointment can start.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation. If you have questions, send an email to SciEdPrograms@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

A postgraduate research project and developmental opportunity is currently available at Office of the Secretary of Transportation of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The appointment will be served within the Office of the Under Secretary for Policy in the Office of Safety, Energy, and the Environment in Washington, DC as a Data Fellow (Participant).

The Office of Safety, Energy, and the Environment supports the Under Secretary for Policy and Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy in matters related to safety, energy, and environmental policies affecting all aspects of transportation. The office provides technical expertise for the Department’s legislative, regulatory and research programs, conducts analyses and recommends policies, and serves as the Departmental focal point for initiatives related to safety, energy, and the environment.

The goal of the project is to further develop DOT’s data-driven approach to decision making as it relates to safety issues with implications across the modes of transportation (highway, rail, air, water, and pipeline). The Participant will collaborate with individuals from DOT’s operating administrations and offices under the Secretary of Transportation, such as the Office of the Chief Information Officer, to connect, understand, analyze, and visualize DOT safety databases, data sources outside of the Department, and geospatial data. The work will foster increased DOT use of data to inform programmatic and policy decisions, and further demonstrate the value of a cross-modal approach through the power of data analytics and visualization.

Participant Benefits

The selected candidate will receive a stipend as support for living and other expenses during this appointment. Stipend rates are determined by DOT officials and are based on the candidate’s academic and professional background. The candidate may also be eligible to receive a health insurance allowance and reimbursement for travel expenses. This appointment is full-time for one year and may be extended in increments of up to one year, contingent upon project needs and funding availability.

Nature of the Appointment

Participants will not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, the DOT, or any other office or agency. Instead, the participant will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE appointment letter and Terms of Appointment.

ORAU/ORISE will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, mental or physical disability, covered veteran’s status, or genetic information.

The successful applicant has received a Master’s degree or higher within 5 years of the start date in either data science, data or business analytics, policy, public administration, GIS, economics, or a similar social sciences degree with coursework requiring data analysis and visualization.

The ideal participant will have a combination of the following experiences and competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to transform information and data into visualizations that tell a compelling story;
• Demonstrated ability to work with and connect multiple data systems and sources;
• Experience analyzing data to identify patterns and trends;
• Experience presenting results to inform next steps;
• Experience with data visualization tools and techniques, include the application of modern programming languages and open source software. Experience should include geospatial data visualization;
• Strong written and verbal communications skills;
• Ability to work across various offices and work units to obtain information, collaborate on data-related projects, and validate findings and conclusions;
• Ability to work with subject matter experts to identify and mitigate data limitations;
• A self-starter with the ability to perform work with limited supervision and changing outcome goals;
• Knowledge of U.S. transportation systems; basic knowledge of transportation safety issues is a plus but not required;
• Experience working with forecast data and information a plus, but is not required; and
• Experience with statistical analysis and econometric modeling a plus, but is not required.

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
  • Business (11 )
  • Communications and Graphics Design (6 )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (16 )
  • Engineering (3 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (10 )
  • Other Non-Science & Engineering (7 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (28 )