Assistant Professor, Geospatial Engineering

Job Summary

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lamar University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in geospatial engineering. This is a nine-month appointment with an anticipated start date of August 2027 (Fall 2027). We seek an energetic educator and researcher with expertise in remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), surveying and geomatics, LiDAR, three-dimensional visualization, or digital twins, and the ability to connect these technologies to civil engineering practice. Teaching is a central responsibility: the successful candidate will teach multiple courses each semester and bring enthusiasm to classroom, field, and laboratory instruction. Research interests may include remote sensing and spatial analytics; LiDAR and point-cloud processing; three-dimensional mapping; digital twins of infrastructure and built environments; infrastructure monitoring; and integration of geospatial data with engineering models. Applications may span transportation, construction, industrial facilities, coastal infrastructure, environmental monitoring, and water resources. Expertise in every listed area is not expected. The successful candidate will pursue external funding and engage industry, public agencies, and academic partners on challenges relevant to Southeast Texas and beyond. The department welcomes AI, emerging sensing technologies, and advanced visualization in instruction and research, with attention to data quality, uncertainty, and sound engineering judgment. The anticipated annual workload is 40% teaching, 50% research, and 10% service.
Teaching: Teach multiple undergraduate and/or graduate courses each semester, with an anticipated assignment of two courses per semester (2-2). Primary areas include surveying and geomatics, GIS, remote sensing, and geospatial applications in civil engineering. Develop advanced instruction in LiDAR, three-dimensional visualization, digital twins, or related topics within the candidate's expertise. Create engaging field, laboratory, and computational experiences connecting measurement and spatial analysis to engineering practice. Advise and mentor students and contribute to curriculum development and assessment.

Research: Establish and sustain an externally funded research program in geospatial engineering. Pursue funding, publish scholarly work, and mentor undergraduate and graduate researchers. Build partnerships with industry, public agencies, and academic collaborators to address regional and broader engineering needs through remote sensing, spatial analysis, visualization, or related technologies. Applications may include infrastructure monitoring, construction, transportation, coastal systems, environmental monitoring, and water resources. Maintain research activity consistent with the assigned workload and tenure expectations.

Service: Contribute to departmental, college, university, and professional service, including curriculum improvement, accreditation, recruitment, outreach, and initiatives supporting student retention and career readiness. Build relationships that create opportunities for student projects and professional development.

Special Note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.

Essential Job Functions

• Establish and sustain an externally funded research program in geospatial engineering. Pursue funding, publish scholarly work, and mentor undergraduate and graduate researchers. Build partnerships with industry, public agencies, and academic collaborators to address regional and broader engineering needs through remote sensing, spatial analysis, visualization, or related technologies. Applications may include infrastructure monitoring, construction, transportation, coastal systems, environmental monitoring, and water resources. Maintain research activity consistent with the assigned workload and tenure expectations.
• Teach multiple undergraduate and/or graduate courses each semester, with an anticipated assignment of two courses per semester (2-2). Primary areas include surveying and geomatics, GIS, remote sensing, and geospatial applications in civil engineering. Develop advanced instruction in LiDAR, three-dimensional visualization, digital twins, or related topics within the candidate's expertise. Create engaging field, laboratory, and computational experiences connecting measurement and spatial analysis to engineering practice. Advise and mentor students and contribute to curriculum development and assessment.
• Contribute to departmental, college, university, and professional service, including curriculum improvement, accreditation, recruitment, outreach, and initiatives supporting student retention and career readiness. Build relationships that create opportunities for student projects and professional development.
  

Minimum and Desired Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• An earned Ph.D. in civil engineering or a closely related field, with expertise in geospatial methods applied to civil engineering, is required by the time of appointment.
• Prior teaching experience and preparation to teach multiple courses each semester in geospatial engineering, with a commitment to energetic instruction, student success, and undergraduate and graduate mentoring.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills; and a Professional Engineer (PE) license or a demonstrated pathway and commitment to obtaining licensure.
• Expertise in GIS and remote sensing, with relevant capability in LiDAR, surveying, three-dimensional visualization, or digital twins; a research and publication record appropriate to career stage; and potential to establish an externally funded research program.

Desired Qualifications:

• Professional experience applying geospatial technologies to civil engineering practice, infrastructure planning, design, construction, or asset management.
• Experience collecting and processing field data using surveying equipment, GNSS, LiDAR, or aerial remote sensing platforms.
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) licensure.
• Experience leading field instruction and mentoring student design or research projects.
• Experience with three-dimensional modeling, digital twins, geospatial programming, AI, spatial analytics, or interactive visualization. Applications to hydrologic or hydraulic modeling are also welcome.
• Experience developing research proposals, participating in sponsored projects, or building industry and public-agency partnerships.
  
  

Supplemental Information

Key Competencies:

• Teach surveying and geomatics, GIS, remote sensing, and geospatial applications with enthusiasm and develop engaging classroom, field, laboratory, and computational instruction.
• Develop an externally funded geospatial engineering research program that connects data collection, analysis, and visualization to engineering decisions.
• technical concepts clearly and integrate emerging technologies while emphasizing data quality, uncertainty, and engineering judgment.
• Mentor students, collaborate with regional industry and public agencies, and contribute to departmental, university, and professional service.
  
  

Physical Requirements: Able to lift 25 lbs and be able to perform a variety of physical tasks including lifting, bending, stooping, squatting, stair climbing and walking between buildings.

Job Conditions: Work is performed in a combination of academic, laboratory, office, and outdoor field environments. The position may involve exposure to varying weather conditions, uneven terrain, surveying equipment, remote sensing technologies, and other field-related hazards while conducting research or supervising instructional activities. Compliance with university safety policies and applicable laboratory and field safety procedures is required. The position may require occasional evening or weekend hours to accommodate teaching, research, fieldwork, student activities, and university events. Occasional travel may be required for field research, professional conferences, research collaborations, and other university-related activities.

Pay Range: Commensurate

Finalists for this position are subject to a criminal history background check, employment history check, and off-list reference checks. Applicants are required to sign an authorization for release of prior employment records to Lamar University. We will only contact prior employers and off-list references for finalists.

Who We Are:
Home to more than 18,000 students, Lamar University is among the fastest growing Texas colleges and universities. LU is a member of The Texas State University System, which is the first higher education system of Texas and maintains the lowest average tuition and fees of any university system in Texas. With more than 120-degree options and a community that cares, Lamar students are always proud to be Cardinals. Lamar University strives to educate leaders, demonstrate excellence in student learning and career readiness, and pursue research with relevance.

Lamar University is committed to fostering an environment of teamwork where all students, faculty, and staff can learn, work, and become a part of our community.

Benefits:

• Health, dental & vision insurance
• Life insurance
• State of Texas Retirement plans
• Tuition covered at 100% for employees, spouses and/or eligible dependents
• Paid time off – vacation, sick, and holidays

To see more information about the available benefits, please visit: Benefits - Lamar University

Lamar University is An Equal Opportunity Employer

Lamar University is proud to provide employment preference to veteran applicants in accordance with Texas 805 Government Code, Section 657.003.

This position is security-sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215, which authorizes the employer to obtain criminal history record information.