The posting
Job Description
The Opportunity
The Herff College of Engineering at the University of Memphis invites applications for an assistant professor or associate professor, tenure-track faculty position beginning in Spring 2027. We seek a creative researcher and engaged educator who is excited to build on existing strengths, develop new collaborations, and help shape the college’s research future. Appointment may be at the assistant professor, associate professor, or professor level, with rank determined by qualifications and experience.
This is a college-wide search. The academic department will be identified based on the selected candidate’s expertise, teaching interests, and opportunities for collaboration. Applicants whose work crosses disciplinary boundaries are encouraged to apply.
Research Areas of Interest
We welcome applicants with expertise in one or more of the following areas:
Quantum science and engineering, including quantum technologies and applications
Advanced manufacturing, including additive manufacturing, materials, and intelligent production systems
Artificial intelligence infrastructure and cybersecurity, including secure, resilient computing and cyber-physical systems
Water resources, including groundwater and surface water science and engineering
Computational fluid dynamics and related modeling and simulation
Next-generation superconductors and energy technologies, including nuclear energy
Remote sensing, including imaging, sensors, and environmental or infrastructure applications
Depth in an individual area is valued, as are ideas that connect these fields. We are interested in the research directions applicants can help advance and the partnerships they can build.
A Collaborative Research Environment
Since 1964, the Herff College of Engineering has connected engineering discovery with practical challenges facing industry and communities. At a Carnegie R1 university, incoming faculty will join colleagues advancing metal additive manufacturing for aviation, automotive, and biomedical applications; developing materials for clean energy and aerospace systems; and using computational fluid dynamics and machine learning to understand complex flows relevant to wind energy, rotorcraft, and other engineered systems. These efforts provide a foundation for collaborative research that improves performance, reliability, and efficiency.
Herff’s research also connects intelligent technologies with environmental protection and infrastructure resilience. Faculty develop AI methods for detecting cyber threats to power systems and remote sensing technologies for defense, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. The Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research (CAESER) brings together field investigations, geophysics, geospatial analysis, and computational modeling to address groundwater and surface water challenges. These activities illustrate how multidisciplinary teams translate research into information that utilities, public agencies, and communities can use.
Collaboration extends across the University through the FedEx Institute of Technology, the Center for Information Assurance, and a new Quantum Information Science Research Program exploring applications in cybersecurity, manufacturing, and other fields. This environment offers incoming faculty opportunities to build an independent research identity while connecting with established teams and external partners. We welcome researchers who can deepen these strengths or create new connections in areas such as AI infrastructure, next-generation superconductors, and nuclear energy.
We welcome both emerging scholars with a promising trajectory and established researchers seeking opportunities to expand their impact. Evaluation will emphasize the quality and significance of applicants’ work, their contributions to funded projects, and their potential to strengthen Herff’s research and educational programs. Expectations for appointment at associate professor or professor will reflect the corresponding level of scholarly accomplishment, teaching, and leadership.
Living in the Memphis Area
Memphis offers a distinctive mix of city amenities and close-knit neighborhood life. The region’s music, food, arts, and community traditions create opportunities to connect beyond campus, while its neighborhoods and surrounding communities offer a range of living environments. Outdoor recreation is part of everyday life: Shelby Farms Park and its Greenline, the Wolf River Greenway, local parks, and nearby waterways provide opportunities for cycling, walking, running, and paddling. The Mississippi River anchors the region’s landscape and identity. For faculty seeking a place to build both a career and a community, the Memphis area offers an engaging setting with room to put down roots.
Application Materials
Applicants should submit a cover letter identifying their research area or areas and interest in Herff; a curriculum vitae; a research statement describing accomplishments, PI or co-PI grant experience, future directions, and potential collaborations; a teaching and mentoring statement; and contact information for three professional references. The anticipated start date is August 2027.
Responsibilities
- Develop an independent, externally funded research program
- Publish and disseminate research findings
- Pursue collaborative proposals with faculty and external partners
- Teach undergraduate and graduate courses aligned with departmental needs and expertise
- Mentor and support graduate students
- Engage undergraduates in research
- Contribute to departmental, college, university, and professional service.
Faculty are encouraged to build partnerships with industry, government agencies, national laboratories, and community organizations where these advance their research and educational goals.
Qualifications
- An earned doctorate in engineering or a closely related discipline by the appointment date.
- A strong record of peer-reviewed publications, evaluated in relation to career stage and research field.
- Prior grant experience as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator, with the scope of that experience considered in relation to career stage.
- A compelling research vision and the ability to develop an externally supported research program.
- A commitment to effective teaching, student mentorship, and collaborative engagement.
Working Conditions
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to handle or feel, and talk or hear.
The employee frequently is required to walk.
The employee is occasionally required to stand, reach with hands and arms, and stoop, kneel, or crouch.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.
About Us
The University of Memphis is a leading, student-centered, urban public R1 research institution. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, on 1,160 acres. The University serves a population of nearly 20,000 students and 2,500 employees, including more than 1,000 full-time faculty members. The University offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 230 areas of study, master’s degrees in more than 50 subjects and doctoral degrees in 26 disciplines; supported an institutional record of more than $100 million in research awards for FY24; and has an operating budget of close to $500 million.
