Research Scientist

• Manassas, VA

• Research Staff

• Opening on:
  Dec 8 2025

Department: College of Science

Classification: Research Staff 12-month

Job Category: Research Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Manassas, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Restricted: Yes

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Center for Collision Safety and Analysis (CCSA) at George Mason University brings together a strong and richly experienced team of scientists and engineers focused on using advanced technology to understand collisions involving transport vehicles and to develop means to avoid or mitigate them to enhance safety and security. CCSA is associated with the College of Science at George Mason University.

The mission of the Center for Collision Safety and Analysis is to advance collision safety though scientific research using sophisticated computational methods that provide a means to establish a sounder understanding of collision dynamics, likely effects on the users, vehicles, and infrastructure system elements, and potential effectiveness of mitigation options.

In addition to the scientific and engineering activities, the operation of CCSA includes interactions with federal government agencies, the National Academy of Science, industrial research sponsors, and other educational and research institutes/universities, as well as other units (colleges and research centers) within Mason. CCSA also operates an experimental facility, the Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL), at the US Department of Transportation.

George Mason University College of Science (Mason Science) is committed to advancing inclusive excellence and fostering an environment free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation throughout our STEM community. At Mason Science, our values include cultivating an organizational culture that promotes belonging, respect, and civility. We believe that varied opinions, cultures, and perspectives are what provides vibrancy, innovation and growth to an academic community.

By prioritizing cultural responsiveness in academics, teaching, research, and global engagement, we strive to attract faculty and staff who exemplify the Mason Science mission and vision.

About the Position:

The Research Scientist provides the additional needed support to the department to conduct sponsored research projects. The position is responsible for conducting sponsored research in transportation safety, developing material and computer simulation models, developing vehicle and roadside hardware models, and carrying out simulation analysis for vehicle and highway safety for vehicle applications.

Responsibilities:

• Develops Finite Element (FE) models in the Vehicle Digitizing Lab;
• Performs the validation and verification of FE vehicle models;
• Conducts simulations of various regulatory crash modes to improve the validity of FE models.;
• Carries out sponsored research related to simulations, design optimization, material model development, new design concepts and improvement, etc.;
• Develops advanced material models, such as metals, composites, concrete, soil, wood etc., using user-define subroutines for crash and impact applications;
• Performs biomechanics analysis in crash-related simulations using Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) and Human Body Model (HBM) dummies to study potential injury risks and preventative measures; and
• Builds, maintains, and analyzes databases of crash tests, simulations, real-world accidents, and other related resources to understand accident trends and causes, injury mechanism, safety measures, etc. using Artificial Intelligent (AL) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Experience in transportation safety, developing material and computer simulation models, developing vehicle and roadside hardware models, and carrying out simulation analysis for vehicle and highway safety for vehicle applications;
• Abilities in…