AY2025-2026 Position #52945 Computer Science - Professor and Endowed Department Chair

Description

The Lyle School of Engineering at SMU, led by the newly appointed visionary, Mary and Richard Templeton Dean, Nader Jalili, invites accomplished candidates for the position of Robert H. Dedman Jr. Endowed Department Chair in the department of Computer Science (CS). The successful candidate for chair of the department will also hold an endowed professorship with the anticipated start date of January 1, 2025. 

 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, industry-supported research, which advances our academic goals and provides students with invaluable industry 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 CS department at SMU has experienced unprecedented growth in student enrollment in the last few years. Coupled with the increasing externally funded research, the department is well poised to make a deep and lasting impact on the field. The ideal candidate for the chair position will guide the department to a position of leadership among elite research institutions in the nation.

 More information about the department is available at https://www.smu.edu/Lyle/Academics/Departments/CS

 

About the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering

For nearly a century, Lyle has been nurturing exceptional engineers who are catalysts for global change. Our commitment to shaping bold leaders who innovate, pioneer, and tackle society’s toughest challenges is unwavering. Embedded in our mindset is a culture of ingenuity that resonates through our research and curriculum. With an impressive 9:1 graduate student-to-faculty ratio, coupled with robust scholarship offerings, we are dedicated to fostering meaningful mentorship and breaking engineering stereotypes. Lyle has proudly earned the American Society for Engineering Education’s Bronze Award for championing diversity and inclusivity. Our focus extends beyond campus, addressing critical global issues through groundbreaking research. Our five departments—Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Operation Research and Engineering Management, and Mechanical Engineering—drive impactful innovations beyond academia’s boundaries.

 

Lyle School’s acclaimed centers and institutes include the Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security, Hart Center for Engineering Leadership, Caruth Institute for Engineering Education, Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, Hart Institute for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the newly established Center for Digital and Human-Augmented Manufacturing.

 

A New Era Beckons: In a resounding testament to our aspirations, SMU’s pursuit of R1 status is bolstered by a recent landmark $20 million gift (https://www.smu.edu/ignited/news/gifts/templeton-lyle-gift-feb-2023) and $15 million investment on Initiative for Digital Innovation in Engineering and Computer Science (https://www.smu.edu/ignited/news/gifts/odonnell-gift-august-2023). These transformative endowments are pivotal in invigorating our research ecosystem, fostering interdisciplinary alliances to position Lyle as an authoritative force in artificial intelligence, human augmentation, digital transformation and innovation. Empowered by the Provost and Dean, the new faculty will be able to redefine engineering education for our swiftly evolving digital landscape, benefiting Dallas and the broader DFW area.

 

Our world-class research facilities are complemented by robust resources in high-performance scientific computing (see https://www.smu.edu/Provost/Data-Science-Institute/HPC).

 

SMU Values: We seek colleagues who eagerly embrace SMU’s central values of intellectual diversity, academic freedom, and the cultivation of cultural intelligence to teach, lead, and