The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) seeks exceptional candidates to fill four positions at multiple (Full/Associate/Assistant Professor) ranks, as part of the Future Mobility Cluster Initiative. Each position will be affiliated with one of 4 participating departments in the Tickle College of Engineering and will start on or before August 1, 2024.

This search is part of a cluster hire to add faculty across these four departments and strengthen the university’s position as a global leader in intelligent mobility solutions. Recruitment into the Future Mobility Cluster Hire (FMI) creates opportunities to build bold agendas that advance big ideas. The successful candidate will join a team of approximately 40 established and successful faculty with shared and complementary research interests in electrification, automation, and shared mobility of transportation, and a strong desire to grow the scholarly and educational impact of their work and in building a national reputation for excellence and innovation in Mobility. For early career faculty, the cluster also offers a unique framework for professional development and mentorship within a rich transdisciplinary environment.

The ideal candidate for this position has a collaborative mindset and prioritizes working with colleagues to realize shared research and educational achievements, including large-scale proposals, joint publications, and new transdisciplinary curricular programming. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant institution, UT is particularly interested in recruiting candidates who are deeply connected to the organizations and communities in which their work will have translational impact, as well as those who will contribute to a climate that values diversity and inclusion.

• Additional information on the cluster hiring initiative at the University of Tennessee Knoxville can be found here: https://provost.utk.edu/it-takes-a-volunteer-2023-2025-cluster-hiring-initiative/
• More information about the Institute of Future Mobility can be obtained here: https://research.utk.edu/mobility/

The Tickle College of Engineering is undergoing an unprecedented period of growth and success and anticipates adding over 30 new faculty over the next three years 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, and intellectual property development for two years running. 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 UT’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF). TCE currently has 185 T/TT and 67 NTT 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 31st 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.

The city of Knoxville is a hidden gem with an elegant and walkable downtown, rich and varied nightlife, intercultural events, vibrant neighborhoods, eclectic restaurants, and amazing access to outdoor activities of all kinds as well as exciting cultural events throughout the year. UTK is in Knoxville TN, within an easy driving distance to Nashville, Atlanta, Asheville, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From Knoxville’s TYS Airport, Knoxville has nonstop flights to 22 major airports in the US, including direct flights to cities such as DC, NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Orlando, and Miami.

We are seeking to fill four tenure-line positions for faculty in the affiliated departments.  Please see the individual departmental position announcements below for the requirements of each position.

The Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee is seeking candidates who have the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University. 

This hire at the assistant professor level is expected to propose, advocate, shape, and implement the roadmap to establish a strong footprint and nationwide presence in the crosscutting field of industrial Engineering and Mobility. An earned doctorate in Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, Operations Research, or a closely related field is required, and the PhD must be in hand by time of appointment. The successful applicants will have strong problem-solving and communication skills and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment. A strong commitment to teaching excellence and publications in leading journals are expected. Preferred qualifications are teaching experience, industrial experience, and demonstrated ability to attract external funding. The applicants must also have a strong desire to conduct groundbreaking research in the electrification, automation, and shared mobility of transportation that will move future mobility technologies to deployment and create a workforce able to lead the deployment after graduation from UT.

Review of applications will begin on December 15, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled. Individuals interested in applying for this position should submit electronically using the link on this site or apply.interfolio.com/135523. 

Applications should include

1. a Cover Letter articulating the applicant’s interest in and qualifications for this position,
2. a curriculum vitae,
3. a research statement outlining previous and future directions,
4. a teaching and mentoring statement, and
5. the names of three to five references.

For any additional questions, please contact ISE Search Committee Contact: Dr. Andrew Yu , ISE, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, at ajyu@utk.edu and TCE Cluster Hire Chair Dr. Subhadeep Chakraborty (schakrab@utk.edu)