The Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE) is conducting a search for a Tenure Track Assistant Professor with a particular interest in applicants working at the intersection of Aerospace, Robotics, and Controls.

The MechE department has a long history of leadership and collaboration in its core areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace, Biomechanics & Mechanobiology, Energy & Sustainability, and Robotics and Autonomous systems. In addition to the new Robotics and Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center (RASTIC), the department has a world-class research robotics lab. This recently expanded 4,000+ sq. ft. space includes a high-bay experimental arena, a workshop, and integrated space for students. Faculty can also utilize a state-of-the art cleanroom through the BU Photonics Center, facilities at the BU Center for Space Physics, and other high-end research equipment at the university.

The College of Engineering’s strategic plan embraces convergent and collaborative research in thematic areas such as: (1) Intelligent, Autonomous and Secure Systems, (2) Synthetic Biology, Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology, (3) Energy, Sustainability and Climate, (4) Materials by Design, (5) Photonics and Optical Systems, and (6) Neuroengineering, Neuroinformatics, and Neuroscience. MechE faculty lead and participate in several high-profile, multidisciplinary research centers, including the Institute for Global Sustainability, the Center for Multiscale and Translational Mechanobiology, the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering, the Center for Information and Systems Engineering, the NSF Engineering Research Center in Cellular Metamaterials, the Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Science and Engineering, BU Nano Center, and the Photonics Center.

Boston University is an AAU institution with a rich tradition dedicated to inclusion and social justice. We are proud that we were the first American university to award a PhD to a woman and that Martin Luther King Jr. received his PhD here. We are dedicated to increasing the participation of all talented students and are committed to the pursuit of engineering by underrepresented groups at BU and beyond. Our university community welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration, and upholds freedom of expression.

In addition to building a world-class research program, the successful candidate will support courses in our undergraduate Aerospace and/or Robotics concentrations, master’s, and doctoral programs. The Aerospace concentration is open to all Mechanical Engineering undergraduates and is designed to prepare students for careers in both aeronautics and astronautics. The Robotics concentration is open to all College of Engineering undergraduates and equips students for a broad range of careers in robotics, including design, control, planning, and more.

Leading candidates would hold a PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a related field with a background in Robotics with aerospace applications, and would be prepared to conduct an experimental and/or theoretical research program that would complement and enhance the existing strengths in the MechE Department. We are explicitly looking for candidates who have an interest in the societal impact of their research.

Applicants should submit 1) a cover letter that describes your research/creative and teaching interests; 2) a teaching statement that describes your teaching philosophy and experience; 3) a statement of research accomplishments and goals including how a focus on collaborative and convergent research can affect your research impact; 4) a current CV, 5) three references with their contact information.

We encourage candidates to apply early, as we will begin reviewing applications in mid-November, 2024. Applications received by November 15, 2024, will be given full consideration. To apply, visit https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28273.

BU conducts a background check on all final candidates for certain faculty and staff positions. The background check includes contacting the final candidate’s current and previous employer(s) to ask whether, in the last seven years, there has been a substantiated finding of misconduct violating that employer’s applicable sexual misconduct policies. To implement this process, the University requires a final candidate to complete and sign the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” after execution of an offer letter.

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, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor