Open Rank Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty

Position Summary

The College of Engineering at the University of Georgia is seeking to grow and diversify its programs through investments in faculty with expertise in Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainability and Equity (RISE).  The College invites applications for multiple open rank, 9-month tenured or tenure-track faculty positions at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor level. These positions will start on August 1, 2022, and are academic year appointments (9 months) with the opportunity to supplement salary during the summer.

The UGA College of Engineering will utilize this initiative to demonstrate our commitment to diversifying our faculty and ensure that we maintain and grow the culture of equity and inclusivity in our College. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of the University and College, and this hiring initiative will make use of the best practices to ensure an inclusive search process.  The Diversity and Inclusion Plan for the college identifies priority areas for our investments and through the 2021-2022 academic year we will develop a Diversity Strategic Plan as part of a campus-wide effort. The college offers structured mentoring programs for all faculty that support professional development. Several programs exist to enhance the inclusiveness of our college, including a student-led Engineering Equity Council and facilitated dialogue that promotes discourse on topics in diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

Multiple positions are available in the field of Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainability and Equity (RISE). Aging infrastructure, urbanization, pollution and climate change are impacting communities and livelihoods with significant investments being made in infrastructure. The RISE interdisciplinary cluster will unite and catalyze strengths in data science, engineering (including Engineering With Nature®, natural infrastructure, and green engineering), environmental and atmospheric sciences, urban systems, public service and outreach, public administration, and law and policy to establish UGA as an international leader in smart and resilient infrastructure systems that protect people, their livelihoods, and their communities from severe weather impacts, climate change, man-made hazards, pollution, unsafe or degraded infrastructures, and other disruptions. The RISE cluster will produce fundamental research on next generation infrastructure and systems with emphasis on vulnerable communities connected with important assets including critical transportation infrastructure, military installations, ports and urban systems (e.g., water, wastewater, solid waste systems).

 
Applications are sought in areas interfacing with data science and artificial intelligence that may include: Smart Interconnected Infrastructure Systems, Operations Research Using AI for Vulnerability and Risk Analysis of Critical Infrastructure Systems, Riverine-Coastal Infrastructure Engineering, Hydrologic & Hydraulic Engineering and Smart Water Systems, AI Geotechnics, AI-Empowered Intelligent Transportation Systems, Green Engineering and Urban and/or Rural System Material Circularity Informatics. The College of Engineering creates an ideal environment for candidates seeking opportunities to work in interdisciplinary collaborations across campus and address resilience issues in communities, especially those most at risk, and infrastructure systems around the world. 

The hiring is part of a campus-wide Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence that aims to recruit 50 faculty members who will educate students and advance research in data science and AI over the next two years. Rather than being housed exclusively in a single department, however, the majority of UGA’s newly recruited faculty will focus on the fusion of data science and AI in cross-cutting areas such as infectious diseases, integrative precision agriculture, ethics, cybersecurity, resilient communities and the environment.

The College of Engineering already has significant expertise in the areas of Transportation and Structural Systems, Geotechnical Engineering, Resilient and Natural Infrastructure, Water Management, Urban Systems, New Materials, Plastic Pollution and Solid Waste Management. Examples are the interdisciplinary team of researchers and educators in the School of Environmental, Civil Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering and colleagues affiliated with the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, New Materials Institute, as well as with other departments and institutes within and outside the College of Engineering.  

Faculty hired as part of this initiative will join a rapidly growing engineering college that combines interdisciplinary research and scholarship with excellent instruction and service. The UGA College of Engineering currently enrolls over 2,500 engineering majors and has over 80 full-time faculty across fifteen-degree programs.  Significant investments in infrastructure have resulted in an expansion of laboratory facilities for research and scholarship and new classrooms and instructional labs. College of Engineering faculty will have space in two major capital projects on campus to create interdisciplinary research facilities. Our main instructional facility has also undergone complete renovation to create flexible classrooms that enable a range of teaching modalities and the incorporation of interdisciplinary instructional labs. The common instructional facilities also foster diversity since they allow faculty, staff, and students to interact and collaborate in a single facility.  

Minimum Qualifications

A Ph.D. in any engineering discipline relevant to the field of resilient infrastructures.

Relevant/Preferred Qualifications

• A strong record of research, scholarship, and instruction that is commensurate with the stage in their professional career and aligned with the areas of research and scholarship associated with this position; a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; a focus on interdisciplinary scholarship that addresses critical societal challenges. 
• A demonstrated record exhibiting leadership traits, effective communication, and ability to develop innovative programs is desired.  

Application Procedure

To apply, please submit applications at: https://www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/227365

Applicants are asked to submit the following information along with their application:

• A detailed curriculum vita.
• A cover letter (not to exceed one page) addressing the candidate’s experience relative to the responsibilities of the position.
• A statement describing the candidate’s commitment to diversity, equity, an inclusion as well as the creation of an equitable and inclusive professional environment not to exceed 2 pages.
• A teaching statement not to exceed 2 pages.
• A research statement not to exceed 2 pages.
• The names, titles, and contact information for three professional references.  

Questions related to the position may be directed to Dr. Jenna Jambeck at jjambeck@uga.edu

All applications received by December 3, 2021 will receive full consideration.

About the University of Georgia

The University of Georgia (UGA), a land-grant and sea-grant university with statewide commitments and responsibilities, is the state’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (https://www.uga.edu/). UGA is currently ranked among the top 16 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA was founded in 1785 by the Georgia General Assembly as the first state-chartered University in the country. UGA employs approximately 1,800 full-time instructional faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 39,000 students including over 30,000 undergraduates and over 9,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 18 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).