Assistant Professor #0085618

Posting number: 2025-01225

Department: University of Hawai'i at Manoa - College of Engineering

Job classification: ASST PROF, UHM, 11-MO

Posting type: Open

Categories: Faculty

Summary

Title: Assistant Professor 

Position Number: 0085618

Hiring Unit: College of Engineering

Location: UH Manoa

Date Posted: 5/29/2025

Closing Date: Continuous - application review begins July 28, 2025

Salary Information: Commensurate with qualifications and experience 

Monthly Type: 11 Month 

Tenure Track: Tenure 

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time 

Temporary/Permanent: Permanent 

Funding: General Funds 

The University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UH Manoa) College of Engineering invites applications for a new tenure-track engineering faculty position as part of a Ground-Based Astronomy and Instrumentation Engineering Support Center being launched this year in collaboration with the Institute for Astronomy. The Center is part of a broader Space Science and Engineering initiative at UH Manoa that recognizes Hawai'i’s unique geography, cultural positioning, and leadership in the growing fields of ground-based astronomy, space flight, and exploration, and seeks to broaden the university’s capabilities in these fields.

Center faculty members provide operational and research expertise to directly support ground-based observatory needs. The general fund, full-time, tenure track position is based in Honolulu on the UH Manoa campus and expected to begin January 1, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. It is part of an initial faculty cohort forming the core of a multidisciplinary, multi-island engineering team. Given the role within a highly collaborative team environment and the expectation of a minimum 50% research assignment, it is an 11-month position at the UH Manoa faculty rank of Assistant Professor (F3). 

The position will contribute to engineering research, teaching, and service relevant to the Center. This initial cohort provides direct support of ground-based activities for observatory operations, including—but not limited to—detectors, high-speed electronics, cryogenic and thermal management systems, optics, adaptive optics and photonics, prototyping, materials and manufacturing, instrumentation and control systems, and systems engineering.

Astronomical instrumentation requires expertise in the following areas to extend the boundaries of observational capabilities. The interplay of systems engineering, embedded control systems, and advanced manufacturing ensures that instruments can operate reliably in remote, harsh environments while delivering data that advances our understanding of the universe.

This significant, large-scale initiative places an emphasis on a collaborative approach to both research and education, focusing on hands-on learning, teamwork, complementary technical expertise, and system-level multidisciplinary thinking. It will serve to expand Hawai'i’s local high-tech workforce by utilizing and leveraging existing observatory facilities on Maunakea and Haleakalaas platforms for new instrumentation and technology development, facility innovation, and proving grounds for operational upgrades and advancement. The cohort is a dedicated engineering team to develop technical proposals, write grant applications, and perform engineering design tasks both at UH Manoa facilities as well as the Center home on the UH Hilo (UHH) campus.   Additionally, the faculty cohort will develop and deliver courses of importance in relevant disciplines to UH Ma