Injury Biomechanics Sled Lab Director

Job Description

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) invites applications for the position of Injury Biomechanics Sled Lab Director as a research scientist series or a research professor appointment (Assistant Associate or Full Research Professor commensurate with experience) within one of the nations leading transportation research organizations. (Rank will be determined at time of offer based on the successful candidates education and experience.) This is a rare opportunity to lead a high-impact experimental facility dedicated to advancing crashworthiness improving occupant protection and directly contributing to life-saving transportation safety research.

Recently fully aligned within VTTI the Injury Biomechanics Sled Lab enters an important new phase of growth and integration within a world-class interdisciplinary research environment. VTTI is internationally recognized for its scale applied research excellence and real-world impact with strong partnerships across industry and government. This alignment enhances the labs strategic role within VTTIs vehicle safety research portfolio and provides expanded opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

The Director will lead and grow a sophisticated experimental biomechanics facility supporting advanced dynamic sled testing including research with postmortem human surrogates (PMHS) and anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) along with state-of-the-art instrumentation and data acquisition systems. The laboratory is well-equipped and fully operational offering a substantial opportunity for strategic expansion.

This position is both a scientific leadership opportunity and a management role. The Director will shape the laboratorys strategic direction expand its externally funded research portfolio mentor emerging researchers and strengthen partnerships that translate rigorous experimentation into meaningful safety advancements.
Virginia Tech offers an exceptional academic and research environment within a vibrant university community. Located in Blacksburg Virginia the university combines the strengths of a nationally recognized research institution with a high quality of life in a safe and collaborative setting.

Primary responsibilities include:
-Oversee all experimental activities and technical operations including study design test execution data interpretation quality assurance regulatory compliance (including Institutional Review Board processes) and delivery of sponsor work products.
-Provide strategic and operational leadership of the Injury Biomechanics Sled Lab assuming full responsibility for the scientific direction technical excellence operational performance and long-term growth of the facility.
-Lead and expand the laboratorys research portfolio by serving as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on externally sponsored projects; proactively identify funding opportunities; develop competitive proposals; and cultivate sustained partnerships with industry government and academic collaborators.
-Direct laboratory personnel and resources including supervision and mentorship of research faculty staff graduate students and undergraduate researchers; manage budgets capital equipment planning scheduling and laboratory infrastructure to ensure efficient and safe operations.
-Foster interdisciplinary collaboration within VTTI and across Virginia Tech integrating sled-based biomechanics research with broader vehicle safety human factors automated driving and other transportation research initiatives.

Required Qualifications

-PhD in biomedical engineering mechanical engineering or a closely related discipline and demonstrated teaching training or student mentorship experience (required for Research Professorial Rank) or PhD or advanced degree in a relevant field with substantial experience (required for rank of Research Scientist Series).
- Demonstrated directly related professional experience.
-Demonstrated hands-on experience performing full-scale biomechanical sled tests with postmortem human surrogates (PMHS) human volunteers and/or crash test dummies.
-Demonstrated record of scholarly achievement evidenced by peer-reviewed publications conference presentations and/or technical reports; and a history of serving as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on externally funded research projects.
-Demonstrated prior leadership and direct supervision of research teams technical staff and/or graduate students.
-Proven experience articulating and executing a coherent research agenda including successful development of awarded research proposals and effective communication of technical concepts to sponsors collaborators and scholarly audiences.
- Demonstrated expertise processing analyzing and interpreting experimental biomechanical data.

Preferred Qualifications

-Experience with PMHS specimen donation other biological tissue acquisition and related Institutional Review Board processes.
-Experience transporting maintaining processing and performing structural tests on biologic tissue.
-Experience working with motion capture systems and biomechanics data acquisition systems.
-Familiarity with animal testing.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

This role offers a highly competitive compensation package aligned with experience and expertise

Hours per week

40

Review Date

4/30/2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its mottoUt Prosim(That I May Serve) Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world Virginia Tech is aninclusive communitydedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36000 undergraduate graduate and professional students in eightundergraduate colleges aschool of medicine aveterinary medicinecollegeGraduate School andHonors College.The university has a significant presence across Virginia including Blacksburg the greater Washington D.C. area the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke sites in Newport News and Richmond and numerousExtension officesandresearch institutes.A leading global research institution Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.