Professor & Head, Materials Science and Engineering
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Application
Details
Posted: 29-Sep-24
Location: Knoxville, TN
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 155517
Applications are invited for the position of Head of the Department of Material Science and Engineering (MSE) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The new head will contribute to the future success of the college and university by leading continued growth in quality and external recognition of the MSE programs at UTK.
Qualities that the department head must demonstrate include a commitment to a welcoming culture, ability to recruit and retain top faculty and staff, clear expertise and external recognition in a MSE related field of research, willingness and skill at working with alumni and donors, a commitment to a team environment and collegial spirit within the college, ability to manage conflict, a strategic vision for the department that aligns with college priorities, and the administrative skill to implement such a plan within the financial constraints of the university.
The department has a small but accomplished undergraduate enrollment with 6 Goldwater scholars in the past 5 years and 65 graduate students, the department has 18 full-time, tenured/tenure-track faculty members, and 1 full-time teaching faculty, including one joint UTK/ORNL joint distinguished scientist and 4 named chair positions. The department?s annual research expenditures are around $7M. The department is ranked as the 24th best program at a public university by USNWR, and metallurgy program ranked 1stin the US by Shanghai rankings. The department boasts a unique Scintillation Materials Research Center, was awarded an NSF MRSEC in 2023 (Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing that has an IRG on High Entropy alloys and ceramics for extreme environments and an IRG on Quantum Materials), and has strong relationships with nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratories with several staff holding joint positions in the department. The University has recently bolstered the UT/ORNL ties with an $80M state investment into the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute.
The Tickle College of Engineering is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success, including adding over 30 new faculty as part of ambitious cluster hiring campaigns lead by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, diversity, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank in the past three years. 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 now under construction that will house UTK?s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF). TCE currently has 185 Tenure/Tenure Track and 67 Non-Tenure Track faculty in its seven academic departments and offers 12 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD 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 3,800 undergraduate and 1,150 graduate students, the college sits 29th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 21 early career awards (NSF, DoE, DARPA, AFOSR, and ARO) since 2016. In FY22, the college had NSF HERD research expenditures of $109 million.
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 an 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.
Required: PhD in Materials Science and Engineering or other appropriate discipline. Candidate?s experience must be commensurate with the rank of full professor and the university?s requirements for tenure.
Desired: The successful candidate should demonstrate a balanced perspective on research, teaching and service as well as the vision and ability to lead a faculty representing a diverse range of interests. Demonstrated excellence in research, technical leadership, management, and graduate and undergraduate teaching is preferred.
Applications should be submitted to Interfolio apply.interfolio.com/155517 and include 1) a curriculum vitae, 2) a statement that addresses the applicant's leadership experience/philosophy, and a vision for the future of MSE, and 3) the names and contact information of five references. Review of applications will begin on November 1, and continue until the position is filled. For additional information, contact search committee chair Chris Cox (ccox9@utk.edu).
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 accommodations of a disability should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3560 or eoa@utk.edu or (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 & Resolution 216 Business Incubator Building 2450 EJ. Chapman Drive Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 or (865)974-0717 or investigations@utk.edu.
Our primary mission is to move forward the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate the citizens of the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. As the preeminent research-based, land-grant university in the state, UT embodies the spirit of excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement attained by the nation’s finest public research institutions.
