JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
Research Associate
Reporting to:
Prof John Polak, Dr Panagiotis Angeloudis,
Key working relationships:
Prof John Polak, Dr Panagiotis Angeloudis, other
researchers and students within CTS.
Grade:
Academic and Research Level B
Summary of the post
A Research Associate is required to contribute to a project on the impact of climate change
to infrastructure networks. The successful applicant will develop models for the prediction of
quantitative impacts of climate hazards on the services provided by transport infrastructure
networks. The work will be undertaken under the supervision of Prof Polak and Dr
Angeloudis. The work forms part of the Climate-KIC (www.climate-kic.org) project OASIS
(www.oasislmf.org), which aims to develop a new generation of infrastructure hazard
modelling and assessment tools.
This post will be based in the Centre for Transport Studies (CTS) at Imperial College
London. CTS is the largest and most successful multidisciplinary transport research group in
Europe, consisting of a core staff of over 80 academics, researchers and students and a
wider network of more than 120 researchers distributed throughout all the Departments of
the College. CTS currently leads a number of major national and internal research projects
and has extensive links with government, local authorities and industry. CTS has achieved
top rating on all the UK Government’s Research Assessment Exercises. Further information
is available from www.imperial.ac.uk/cts.
Key Responsibilities

To develop models for the prediction of quantitative impacts of climate hazards on the
services provided by transport infrastructure networks.

To interact with Prof Polak and Dr Angeloudis in the development of new research
proposals in the area of urban infrastructure resilience and disaster response, with a
focus on the application of network modelling techniques, cascading failures and the
study of interdependent systems.

To interact with Prof Polak and Dr Angeloudis as formal supervisors, and other research
staff and students working in broad areas of relevance to research on transport
infrastructure and the assessment of threats related to climate change or other largescale natural disasters.

To write progress reports and prepare results for publication and dissemination via
journals, presentations and the web.

To attend and actively participate in relevant progress and management meetings as
required and network with other researchers in the consortium.

To perform other reasonable tasks related to the furtherance of the project aims.

To contribute as appropriate to the supervision of Masters and PhD students working in
related areas.
To observe and comply with all College policies and regulations, including the key
policies and procedures on Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest, Data Protection, Equal
Opportunities, Financial Regulations, Health and Safety, Imperial Expectations (for
new leaders, managers and supervisors), Information Technology, Private
Engagements and Register of Interests, and Smoking.
To undertake specific safety responsibilities relevant to individual roles, as set out on
the College Website Health and Safety Structure and Responsibilities page
(http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/policies/organisationandarrangements).
Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may be required to
undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating
discrimination. All employees are expected to adhere to the principles set out in its
Equal Opportunities in Employment Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy and all
other relevant guidance/practice frameworks.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Applicants for this post should demonstrate how their skills and experience meet the
following Person Specification.
Please note that because of the nature of the post you will be required to undergo a
security clearance vetting process.
Imperial Expectations
These are the 7 principles that all imperial staff are expected to follow:
1) Champion a positive approach to change and opportunity
2) Communicate regularly and effectively within, and across, teams
3) Consider the thoughts and expectations of others
4) Deliver positive outcomes
5) Encourage inclusive participation and eliminate discrimination
6) Support and develop staff to optimise talent
7) Work in a planned and managed way
Qualifications
Applicants should have or be close to completing a PhD in the reliability of large-scale
infrastructure networks (with a strong preference for transport networks) and a strong
background in scientific programming.
Experience and Knowledge
The candidate should have the following experience and knowledge:

Background to PhD level in the design and study of urban infrastructure.

Background to PhD level in disaster modelling applications and the impacts of
extreme natural events.

Background in GIS applications to the design of transport infrastructure, network
analysis and optimisation.

Familiarity with databases and statistical computing tools.

Excellent scientific programming skills, with a strong preference for development
experience in the C# language.
Skills
Candidates will be able to:

Develop innovative methods and tools in the area of transport infrastructure hazard
assessment

Contribute to team-based project development and delivery.

Relate to other researchers, and students in an academic context

Present themselves at meetings, conferences and seminars with authority and
coherence.