Assistant/Associate Professor – Structural Engineering and Materials

 

Assistant/Associate Professor – Structural Engineering and Materials

The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Virginia Tech invites applications for a tenured/tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in Structural Engineering and Materials, effective August 2025. We are seeking candidates motivated to contribute to a collegial, interdisciplinary community with a strong tradition of both fundamental and applied research.

The CEE Department has 52 tenured/tenure-track faculty and 7 professors of practice. Seven faculty are recent early investigator recipients, and numerous other faculty are recognized nationally and internationally. The department is home to 640 undergraduate students and 310 full-time graduate students. The civil and environmental engineering graduate programs are currently ranked 9th and 7th, respectively, and the civil and environmental engineering undergraduate programs are ranked 9th and 5th, respectively, by U.S. News & World Report (USN&WR). The CEE Department home to the Thomas M. Murray Structural Engineering and Materials Laboratory, a 24,000 ft2 facility specializing experimental research on full-scale structural components and performance evaluations of civil engineering materials.

Candidates are expected to lead innovative scholarship and research, develop and sustain an externally-funded research program, teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students, and serve the university and the profession. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in civil engineering or a closely related field, a strong record of academic accomplishments commensurate with rank, a proven ability to work collaboratively, a commitment to interdisciplinary research and instruction, an ability to teach subjects germane to the field and develop courses in emerging areas, and a willingness to expand disciplinary boundaries to address complex technical and societal challenges. Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) is preferred but successful candidates should demonstrate the capacity to obtain PE registration.

The position in the Structural Engineering and Materials (SEM) program area will focus on innovating new structural systems, advancing existing structural systems, or developing retrofit approaches through the use of new materials, construction processes, or design approaches as they pertain to reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, and associated infrastructure such as bridges and modular structures. Expertise may include design for functional recovery and resilience after extreme hazards, with complementary strengths in one or more of the following: data analytics, AI/machine learning, large-scale experiments, high fidelity computational simulation, and field testing of infrastructure. The candidate will conduct research that intersects with smart construction initiatives and is of timely interest to state and federal grant agencies (e.g., NCHRP, FHWA, VDOT, USDOT, NSF, DoD, DoE) as well as practical aspects of structural design and behavior that attracts industry sponsored research.

Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT—serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our community in preparing leaders for the world. The College of Engineering undergraduate program ranks 16th, and graduate program ranks 30th among all U.S. engineering schools (USN&WR). The Mission of the College of Engineering is to educate and inspire our students to be critical thinkers, innovators and leaders. Our core values are inclusiveness, excellence, integrity, perseverance, and stewardship.

Virginia Tech’s main campus is located in Blacksburg, VA, in an area consistently ranked among the country’s best places to live. In addition, our facilities in the Washington, D.C. area offer unique proximity to government and industry partners and are also expanding rapidly, with Virginia Tech's exciting new Innovation Campus in Alexandria, VA, slated to open in early 2025.

Applicants must apply online at jobs.vt.edu (posting number 531273). Application materials include a cover letter, CV, up to three relevant research publications, and contact information for at least three professional references. In addition, applicants must provide a research statement and a statement of teaching and mentoring philosophy (up to 3 pages each) including the candidate’s ideas for supporting an equitable and inclusive educational environment consistent with the Virginia Tech Princ