The Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering (MABE) Department at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), is seeking an exceptionally qualified candidate for a tenure-track faculty appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor.

Qualifications and Responsibilities

All outstanding candidates with a strong background in engineering relevant to mechanical engineering will be considered. Candidates applying for this position are expected to have a strong commitment to teaching excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, demonstrate research capabilities that will enable the development of robust externally funded research programs, and produce archival publications in leading scholarly journals. It is expected that the candidate will develop graduate courses in their area of research to complement the departmental growth. A Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, or a related field of engineering, is required. Applicants with industrial experience and suitable academic background are also welcomed.

Research interests and capabilities can span the entire spectrum of engineering solutions, and our preferred interest is expertise in one or more of the following areas:

1. Dynamics, control, and robotics, including design and operation of robotic systems, soft robots, and novel integration of sensing and actuation
2. Smart and adaptive materials and systems, including meta materials and bio-inspired systems
3. Novel control, automation, and machine learning techniques, including multi-agent systems

Opportunities for Collaborative Research

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a Carnegie R1 institution and the state’s comprehensive, land grant, research institution. The Tickle College of Engineering is undergoing a period of substantial growth in both physical infrastructure and research expenditures, and it is ranked in the top 21st percentile of public graduate programs in engineering. The college presently has 7 departments with 186 faculty, 3,393 undergraduates, and 1,155 graduate students. The college research expenditures are currently $85.6M per year.

The MABE Department currently has 42 tenured or tenure-track faculty as well as 7 Lecturers, 9 Research Professors, and a Professor of Practice. There are 1,331 undergraduate and 182 graduate students pursuing degrees at all levels in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or biomedical engineering (http://www.mabe.utk.edu). The department research expenditures are $19M this year.

Extensive opportunities for collaborative research and development exist within the Knoxville area and at UTK. There are opportunities for collaborations with faculty from Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Materials Science and Engineering, and other academic units. The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge complex, which includes the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (http://www.ornl.gov), is located 25 miles from the university campus. Researchers at ORNL are very interested in collaborating with the University of Tennessee’s engineering faculty. Additional opportunities for collaborative research exist at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (https://www.utsi.edu/) nearby in Tullahoma, TN. This position could be an excellent opportunity for younger faculty to launch their careers or for experienced faculty members to join an excellent team.

Application Details

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date of the new position is August 1, 2023. Salary is commensurate with the position and experience of the applicant. Applications must include (1) a concise letter of intent outlining the applicant’s research and teaching goals and objectives; (2) a comprehensive curriculum vitae; (3) a statement of research and teaching interests; and (4) the names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least five professional references to http://apply.interfolio.com/116730 .

All components (1-4 above) of the application should be compiled into a single PDF anduploaded to:

http://apply.interfolio.com/116730

Inquiries can be addressed directly to:

Dr. Jeff Reinbolt

207 Dougherty Engineering Building University of Tennessee

Knoxville, TN 37996-2210 mesearch2023@utk.edu

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