Lecturer or Teaching Assistant Professor, Engineering Fundamentals, Spring 2027

Lecturer or Teaching Assistant Professor, Engineering Fundamentals, Spring 2027

Location:
Knoxville, TN
Open Date:
Sep 15, 2026
Close Date:
Dec 15, 2026
Description:
Engineering Fundamentals (EF) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, seeks two dynamic and innovative faculty at the rank of Lecturer (non-terminal degree) or Teaching Assistant Professor (terminal degree) to contribute to its first-year engineering program. EF is the home of the engage Engineering Fundamentals program, an active-learning focused, first-year curriculum that is responsible for teaching 8-12 credit hours of common coursework for Tickle College of Engineering’s first-year students, depending on their major. EF course content, delivered in a flipped classroom model, primarily focuses on introductory level physics, computing tools (e.g., Excel and MATLAB), hands-on lab activities, and project design experiences. Additional topics that may be included in the first-year courses are: the design process, technical communication, teaming, perspectives of the engineering profession, and student success-related topics (time management, study skills, etc.). Engineering Fundamentals is also responsible for teaching an upper-division active-learning introductory programming course utilizing primarily MATLAB for engineering problem solving. 

 

All faculty in EF are expected to contribute 90% of their time to teaching and 10% to the service mission of EF, the college, the university, and/or the field. The workload for the position includes teaching one to two EF courses each semester (courses may include multiple sections up to 128 students), mentoring both undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants, and facilitating the day-to-day operations of the EF unit. Details about the engage Engineering Fundamentals program are available at https://engage.utk.edu/.  As a faculty member of the Engineering Fundamentals program, you join the University of Tennessee community. 

 

The Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success, including adding more than 30 new faculty at all levels to the college over 4 years as part of ambitious hiring campaigns led by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank in the past three years. Key partnerships with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) through the University of Tennessee Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) and Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) that manages the Y-12 National Security Complex have created an expanded opportunity space for faculty and students in the region.   New facilities include the state-of-the art Zeanah Engineering Complex, the University of Tennessee Manufacturing and Design Enterprise (TN-MADE) facility, and the Innovation South building that houses UTK’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF), a National Prototype Research Center (NSPC) as part of a partnership with CNS Y-12 under construction, and new facilities for the Biomedical Engineering department and a quantum foundry in planning stages. 

TCE currently has 213 tenured/tenure track and more than 80 non-tenure track faculty in its nine academic departments and offers 11 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD/DE degree programs. Affiliated with TCE and located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, the UT Space Institute is a hub of aerospace and defense research. The college is also home to eight research centers and three interdisciplinary institutes. With approximately 4,800 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate students, the college sits 28th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 33 early career awards (NSF, DOE, DARPA, AFOSR, AHA, and Sloan) since 2016. In FY25, the college had annual research expenditures of $113.9M. 

Knoxville, TN is a vibrant city with a beautiful and walkable downtown, active neighborhoods, an effervescent nightlife that includes numerous theaters and museums, a rich live music scene across all genres, and eclectic restaurants. Knoxville is nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, surrounded by lakes and the Tennessee River, providing amazing access to various outdoor activities. Knoxville is within easy driving distance of four major metropolitan areas that regularly host larger cultural and entertainment events.

Qualifications:

The faculty position is a full-time, non-tenure-track, 9-month appointment at the rank of Lecturer or Assistant Teaching Professor, based on degree. Candidates are required to have earned at least a master’s degree in engineering, engineering physics, or computer science. Candidates should possess excellent communication skills, a solid commitment to innovative teaching methods (both traditional and technology-enabled), and the ability to promote an inclusive learning environment. Demonstrated interest in first-year engineering and computing education programs is expected. Candidates with experience teaching computing applications or engineering physics, experience teaching project-based courses, experience creating and managing student projects, and/or degrees in engineering education will also be given preference.

Application Instructions:
Applications must include the following four documents. Please upload documents as PDFs to ensure readability:  

1. a one-page cover letter addressing qualifications and motivation,  

2. a teaching statement, including the candidate’s background and experience that make them an ideal candidate. This should include, but is not limited to, the following, 

• examples of how the candidate has, or would employ innovative, active learning strategies in the classroom,
• examples of how the candidate has, or would engage in large, diverse classes,
• examples of how the candidate has, or would assess learning outcomes for large, diverse classes 

3. a comprehensive curriculum vitae, and 

4. the names and contact information (address, phone number, and e-mail address) for at least three professional references.   

 

Questions about the position should be directed to Dr. Baker Martin, Chair of the Search Committee, (email: bmarti50@utk.edu). Positions to be filled for a January 2027 start. Review of applications will begin September 30th and will continue until all positions are filled. Applications without all four required documents uploaded will not be reviewed.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university.

Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to eoa@utk.edu, or by phone at 865-974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation and Resolution, 216 Business Incubator Building, E J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to investigations@utk.edu, or by phone at 865-974-0717.