Professor and Department Chair, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering

Tracking Code22599929830819Job Description

The Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) within the College of Engineering at Boston University is accepting applications for the position of Department Chair and Professor, with tenure, starting ideally by September 1, 2023.

The College of Engineering at Boston University has embarked on a bold new strategic plan that embraces the power of convergent and collaborative research to pursue the most important and impactful research connected to societal needs. We intend to create a new kind of engineer, one wired for the new world that embraces the power of diversity of expertise, perspective, creativity, thought, experience and disciplines needed to accelerate sustainable solutions to complex challenges. To that end our new plan intends to dramatically lower the boundaries for collaboration across departments. The College has 140 primary faculty, is ranked 17th among engineering schools at private institutions and 35th among all engineering schools. The College has been recognized by the American Society of Engineering Education for its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and degree attainment outcomes.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is a vibrant, modern, diverse department with faculty and curricula at the nexus of traditional mechanical engineering, micro and nano systems and manufacturing, dynamics, robotics and autonomous systems (including soft robotics), soft, hard, and meta materials applied to energy systems, data science, design engineering, biomechanics and mechanobiology. There are 46 primary faculty members, many of whom hold joint appointments in other Departments and Divisions within the College. We offer the baccalaureate degree in ME with optional concentrations in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, energy engineering, and nanotechnology. At the graduate level, the Department offers master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, robotics and autonomous systems, and product design and manufacture, and the PhD in mechanical engineering. Undergraduate and graduate enrollments are approximately 500 and 150 respectively, with PhD enrollment growing for several consecutive years. In addition, ME faculty advise almost 100 graduate students enrolled in programs based in other departments and the Divisions. The department is ranked 22nd among all Mechanical Engineering programs at private universities.

The Department has research annual expenditures of approximately $9 million. The research portfolio is cross-cutting and is further strengthened by its affiliation with the Division of Materials Science and Engineering, the Division of Systems Engineering, the Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation, the Center for Information and Systems Engineering, and the Photonics Center. The department has primary oversight of extraordinary hands-on facilities including our Engineering Product Innovation Center (a 15,000 sq. ft. state of the art maker space), the 5000 sq. ft. Robotics Research Center, and our newly awarded 2500 sq. ft. Robotics and Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center.

Required Skills

The successful candidate will have an exciting opportunity to lead growth of the Department and to shape its role in addressing society’s challenges in a uniquely collaborative environment. They will have an earned doctorate and be internationally recognized for research excellence, leadership, and scholarship in mechanical engineering or a closely related field. They will have the skill to lead and advance a research-oriented department, and the ability to both recruit and mentor exceptional early-career faculty. A demonstrated commitment to inclusion, societal impact, and educational excellence at the undergraduate and graduate levels is essential. The Department is also interested in a leader who will further strengthen the graduate program through an environment that fosters interdisciplinary research and industry collaboration.

DO NOT APPLY THROUGH THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY HR WEBSITE.

Applicants should visit https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/22263 to submit an electronic dossier that includes a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the names and addresses of at least six references.

Boston University is an AAU institution with a rich tradition dedicated to inclusion and social justice and a commitment to broadening participation of underrepresented groups in engineering.

Please note all newly hired staff and faculty will need to be in compliance with Boston University’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Requirement within 30 days of date of hire. You must upload your vaccine documentation or request a medical or religious exemption (instructions). For further information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Resources site.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

Job LocationBoston, United StatesPosition TypeFull-Time/Regular