Since 1954, the National Research Council (NRC) has conducted the Research Associateship Program (RAP) in cooperation with sponsoring Federal laboratories and other approved participating research organizations. RAP provides highly skilled and exceedingly promising postdoctoral and senior scientists and engineers with opportunities to research problems that are compatible with the interests of sponsoring laboratories. RAP offers recent doctoral graduates opportunities for concentrated research with selected members of permanent, professional, laboratory staff and allows them to contribute to the overall efforts of the laboratories. 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has participated in RAP since 1992. To supplement the expertise of permanent staff, FHWA’s Turner–Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC), through its Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program, invites researchers with appropriate backgrounds to investigate specific problems on a short-term basis across a wide range of topics and disciplines.