Principle Investigator

Must have:

• Employable by Sharp at more than half time at award, or willing to commit to that contingently. Without this, nothing else matters.

• A strong AI and machine learning background. The output is an AI product and there is a required AI section, so the PI needs to speak credibly to model choices, data, and explainability.

• A track record leading or delivering R&D or software projects, ideally federally funded, and the ability to run a fixed-price, milestone-driven effort.

• Clear technical writing and presentation skills, since evaluators read and score the narrative.

Strong plus:

• Transit, mobility, or transportation domain experience, or a clear ability to come up to speed fast.

• Accessibility expertise: Section 508, WCAG, Universal Design, assistive technology, or real experience with disability access. This is your FT1 differentiator, and a credibility signal most competitors will not have.

• System architecture and integration experience, since the core problem is pulling fragmented transit data, routing, and payment into one experience.

• Commercialization or product experience to strengthen the Commercial Potential score.

• An advanced degree in AI, computer science, human-computer interaction, or transportation. Reviewers tend to weigh this, though demonstrated experience can stand in for it.