The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech invites applications for an open faculty position in the general area of combustion. This position could be filled at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor level. Exceptional candidates will be considered for named professorships.

Candidates with research breadth and depth across several areas of mechanical engineering including aerospace propulsion systems, turbomachinery, biofuels, fuel blends, advanced combustion diagnostics, or automobile engine systems, with an emphasis on combustion dynamics are especially encouraged to apply. Candidates with either experimental or simulation-based backgrounds in combustion will be considered. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to interact with the researchers at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Center at Virginia Tech, which is one of 30 research centers established by Rolls-Royce all over the world. A $4M state of the art Virginia Tech Advanced Propulsion and Power Laboratory (VT APPL) opened in 2015, and would be a valuable asset available for faculty working in this field at VT.

 

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. The Department of Mechanical Engineering (http://www.me.vt.edu/), which includes a Nuclear Engineering Program, has 61 faculty, research expenditures of over $16M, and a current enrollment of 340 graduate students with 180 students at doctoral level, and over 1100 undergraduate students. The Department is ranked 13^th and 16^th out of all mechanical engineering departments in the nation in undergraduate and graduate education, respectively, by the 2017 U.S. News and World Report. 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 and the Commonwealth of Virginia Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (CCAPS), the recently established Rolls-Royce University Technology Center (UTC) in advanced systems diagnostics, and the Virginia Center for Autonomous Systems (VaCAS).

 

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in engineering or a closely related discipline. We are seeking highly qualified candidates committed to a career in research and teaching. The successful candidate will be responsible for mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and developing an internationally recognized research program. Candidates should apply online at www.jobs.vt.edu to posting number TR0160122. Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae including a list of published journal articles, a one-page research statement, a brief statement on teaching preferences, and the names of five references that the search committee may contact. Review of applications for all positions will begin on December 5, 2016 and will continue until the positions are filled.

 

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).

 

For assistance submitting the application please contact Ms. Sara Vallejo (sara.vallejo@vt.edu), (540) 231-0700. General inquiries about the position should be addressed to the search committee chair: Prof. Scott Huxtable, (huxtable@vt.edu), (540) 231-1943.