Open Area and Rank Faculty Position

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech invites nominations and applications for an endowed/chaired full professor position with the start date of August 2020. We are looking for an exceptionally accomplished scholar with a demonstrated record of extraordinary scholarly achievements, substantial sponsored research, and excellent teaching/advising and service who will create new initiatives within the department and will align the department’s research expenditure with top tiered peer institutions. This position will be open to all areas of Mechanical or Nuclear Engineering. Joint or courtesy appointment with other departments such as AOE or BEAM are possible depending on the qualifications.

Virginia Tech is committed to diversity and seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including women, minorities, and people with disabilities. Virginia Tech is a recipient of the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award to increase the participation of women in academic science and engineering careers (www.advance.vt.edu).

The Department of Mechanical Engineering (http://www.me.vt.edu/), which includes a Nuclear Engineering Program, has 67 faculty, 30 affiliate faculty, annual research expenditures of over $18M, and a current enrollment of 300 graduate students with 180 students at doctoral level, and over 1100 undergraduate students. With about 400 BS ME degrees awarded each year, the Department is the third largest in the nation in graduating mechanical engineers (2017 ASEE Data.) The Department is ranked 15th (8th in public schools) and 23rd (12th in public schools) out of all mechanical engineering departments in the nation in undergraduate and graduate education, respectively, by the 2019 U.S. News and World Report. The department operates under five thrust areas: Robotics and Dynamical Systems (RADS); Bio, Micro, and Nano Systems (BMNS); Energy Engineering and Science (ESS); Design, Materials, and Manufacturing (DMM); and Nuclear Engineering and Science (NES). The Department includes several research centers, and its faculty members are engaged in diverse multidisciplinary research activities. The mechanical engineering faculty also benefit from a number of university-wide institutes such as the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), the Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI); College-level centers such as the Rolls-Royce University Technology Center (UTC) and the state-level Commonwealth of Virginia Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (CCAPS), the Virginia Center for Autonomous Systems (VaCAS) and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM). Blacksburg is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is widely recognized by national rankings as a vibrant and desirable community with affordable living, world-class outdoor recreation, an active arts community, and a diverse international population.

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in mechanical or nuclear engineering or a closely related discipline. We are seeking highly qualified candidates committed to a career in research and teaching. The successful candidates will be responsible for mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, teaching courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and developing a strong externally sponsored research program.

Candidates should apply online at www.jobs.vt.edu to the appropriate posting number 510602. Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, a research/vision statement, and the names of five references that the search committee may contact. Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2019 and will continue until the position is filled.

General inquiries about the position should be addressed to the search committee chair, Prof. Saied Taheri (staheri@vt.edu). For assistance submitting the application please contact Ms. Miriam Snyder (miriamsn@vt.edu), (540) 231-8250.