VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY (Virginia Tech), DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING seeks to fill a tenure-track faculty position in DESIGN & ADVANCED MANUFACTURING to further expand its interdisciplinary advanced manufacturing team. The position is open to the ranks of Assistant or Associate Professor.  Applicants at the Associate Professor rank should show national and international prominence in the design and/or advanced manufacturing communities and are expected to assume a leadership role in n the Mechanical Engineering program and the advanced manufacturing team. Applicants with a PhD in mechanical or related engineering and having university/industrial/federal laboratory experience are strongly encouraged to apply. They will be expected to develop a strong research program and contribute to the educational mission at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. We are seeking applicants having strong interdisciplinary interests across all areas of design methodology, design optimization, and advanced manufacturing and materials processing. We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise that integrate strongly with the interdisciplinary advanced manufacturing team, including multidisciplinary design optimization, topology optimization, design of engineering material systems, design for manufacturing, computer-aided design, manufacturing process simulation and modeling, and direct-metal Additive Manufacturing processes.

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 13th and 16th 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 recently established Rolls-Royce University Technology Center (UTC) in advanced systems diagnostics, and the Virginia Center for Autonomous Systems (VaCAS); and state-level industry-academic research centers such as the such as the Commonwealth Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (CCAPS) and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM). Virginia Tech is also a member of both the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute and America Makes.

Review of applicants will begin December 1, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled. Virginia Tech is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer. The University has a strong commitment to the principle of diversity and, in that spirit, seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including women, minorities, and persons 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).

Candidates who wish to be considered for this position should apply online at https://listings.jobs.vt.edu and link to posting number TR0160125.  Applicants are requested to submit a Curriculum Vitae, the names of five references, a statement of research interests, a statement of teaching interests, and a cover letter. These items must be submitted electronically. For assistance submitting the application please contact Ms. Diana Israel (disrael@vt.edu, (540) 231-6424). Inquiries about the position should be directed to the Chair of the search committee, Prof. Christopher Williams (cbwill@vt.edu), (540) 231-3422. Individuals with disabilities desiring accommodations in the application process should notify Professor Williams.