AY2025-2026 Position #50939 Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity - Endowed Associate or Full Professor and Executive Director

Description

The Lyle School of Engineering at SMU, led by the newly-appointed visionary Mary and Richard Templeton Dean, Dr. Nader Jalili, invites qualified candidates for tenured faculty positions at the Associate and Full Professor levels to lead Lyle School’s esteemed Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity (“The Institute”). Minimum qualifications for this position include an earned Ph.D. in the appropriate or a closely related discipline, with experience commensurate with the rank of associate or full professor. The departments for the appointment will be determined by the backgrounds and interests of the final candidates in one of Lyle's five departments. Joint appointments either within Lyle or across SMU will also be considered. 

 

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of both the technological innovations required for sustainable energy solutions and the human-centered approaches that support the well-being of underserved populations. The Institute’s mission is rooted in advancing both scientific excellence and humanitarian impact. We seek candidates who are passionate about the intersection of energy research and community engagement, and who are committed to fostering inclusive and equitable solutions that address global challenges. The Executive Director will play a pivotal role in ensuring the Institute's work remains focused on improving the lives of marginalized communities while advancing cutting-edge research in energy and sustainability.

 

The Lyle School of Engineering has embarked on an ambitious journey, successfully hiring 14 outstanding faculty members, including two department chairs, three center/institute executive directors, and several endowed professors during the 2023-24 academic year. Our culture of faculty growth thrives on innovation, fostering a dynamic and collaborative environment. We are committed to externally funded research, which advances our academic goals and provides students with invaluable real-world insights. Our mission is to lead in the digital transformation of engineering education, equipping students with cutting-edge knowledge and skills to emerge as confident, capable leaders. Through excellence and innovation, we aim to significantly impact the engineering landscape and beyond.

 

The Hunt Institute, in its reimagined era, will focus on critical sustainability and humanitarian challenges related to global energy issues. These challenges include fundamental and applied topics such as carbon reduction and management; energy conservation; renewable energy technologies and production; power efficiency, management, and distribution; advanced energy storage and conversion technologies; hydrogen transportation and economy; power grid management; natural gas transportation; energy modeling and artificial intelligence (AI); impacts and needs of under-resourced communities; and assessment of sustainability, access, and affordability of energy technologies and solutions.

In recent years, significant funding has been allocated to energy initiatives in the United States and SMU is an ideal location for directing this funding towards human-centered research. Texas’ $172 billion energy sector dominates both renewable and non-renewable energy in the United States. The Cox School of Business’ Maguire Energy Institute provides unique opportunities for collaboration. Dallas is also home to the Environment Protection Agency Region 6 office, as well as a large philanthropic community deeply invested in humanitarian causes. The Institute Director can build on these strengths and collaborate with faculty and students through activities such as:

·         Establish industry and government-funded large-scale collaborative research activities at SMU.

·         Promote resilient R&D collaborations with major local industries to address both the technical and human-centered aspects of energy challenges, including equity, access, and sustainability.

·         Develop outreach and education activities, such as workshops, short courses, and certificate programs to provide expertise and tools for workforce development and advancing government, industry, and non-governmental organization (NGO) initiatives.

·         Form national and international partnerships to advance crucial technologies for under-resourced communities.

The goal is to increase energy access and enhance energy security while fostering workforce development, stimulating industrial growth, and promoting overall prosperity through improved energy infrastructure and services.

The Institute’s activities and personnel