Job Description

The Science Informed Artificial Intelligence (ScAI) cluster at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville seeks exceptional candidates to fill one tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor, primarily in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering (MABE), starting August 1, 2025. There will also be a unique opportunity for a joint appointment at the Mathematics department. Review of applications will begin on Monday 12/2/2024 and continue until the position is filled. ? 

UT is searching for additional faculty to strengthen the university?s position as a global leader in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; this position is among them. Recruitment into the ScAI cluster creates opportunities to build bold agendas that advance big ideas. The successful candidate will join a team of approximately 10 established and successful faculty with shared and complementary research interests in Scientific Machine Learning within Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and a strong desire to grow the scholarly and educational impact of their work. For early career faculty, the cluster also offers a unique framework for professional development and mentorship within a rich transdisciplinary environment. 

The ideal candidate for this position has a collaborative mindset and prioritizes working with colleagues to realize shared research and educational achievements, including large-scale proposals, joint publications, and new transdisciplinary curricular programming. As Tennessee?s flagship land-grant institution, UT is particularly interested in recruiting candidates who are deeply connected to the organizations and communities in which their work will have translational impact, as well as those who will contribute to a climate that values diversity and inclusion. 

The ScAI cluster is part of the "It takes a Volunteer" cluster hiring initiative at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (). The ScAI will be a cluster team of excellence in the science, mathematics, and optimization of AI for advancing scientific and engineering applications and offer a direct impact on additive manufacturing and hypersonic defense systems. As part of this institutional priority initiative, new hires will join a dynamic core group of scientific collaborators with complementary experience and a shared interest in building a national reputation for excellence and innovation in ScAI. In addition, clusters are expected to work together to grow the University?s reputation in ScAI through shared grant proposals, publications, and innovative new curricular programming. ? 

The new hire will also support and contribute to the AI TENNessee (Transdisciplinary AI Education and iNNovation) Initiative. The AI TENNessee Initiative is a new research and education initiative focused on the State of Tennessee?s unique AI strengths and opportunities. Led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this initiative is engaging with academic, industry, and community partners across Tennessee to leverage the benefits of AI across all disciplines and economic sectors in areas such as AI for science, smart manufacturing, climate-smart agriculture and forestry, precision health and environment, and future mobility. Our goal is to improve lives through AI research and education. The mission of the AI TENNessee initiative is to: 1) advance cutting-edge fundamental and transdisciplinary AI research and creative activity across all disciplines to address important challenges; 2) expand the number of Tennessee students developing skills and core competencies in AI across many disciplines to prepare them for AI-enabled jobs of today and the future; and 3) partner with industry and institutions statewide to? position Tennessee as a national and global leader in the data-intensive knowledge economy.? 

About the College

The Tickle College of Engineering is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success including adding over 30 new faculty as part of ambitious cluster hiring campaigns led by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, diversity, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank in the past three years. New facilities include the state-of-the art Zeanah Engineering Complex, the University of Tennessee Manufacturing and Design Enterprise (TN-MADE) facility, and the Innovation South building now under construction that will house UTK?s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF). TCE currently has 185 Tenure/Tenure Track and 67 Non-Tenure Track faculty in its seven academic departments and offers 12 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD degree programs. Affiliated with TCE and located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, the UT Space Institute is a hub of aerospace and defense research. The college is also home to eight research centers and three interdisciplinary institutes. With approximately 3,800 undergraduate and 1,150 graduate students, the college sits 29th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 21 early career awards (NSF, DoE, DARPA, AFOSR, and ARO) since 2016. In FY22, the college had NSF HERD research expenditures of $109 million.

Appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor requires a completed Ph.D. degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or closely related fields is required at the time of appointment.

We seek candidates specializing in Scientific Machine Learning within Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, specifically where physics-based modeling intersects with data-driven learning. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: high-speed flows, fluid mechanics, manufacturing, solid mechanics and materials, and robotics and control.

All candidates should submit a single pdf document containing the following: (1) Cover letter addressing why this position is of interest; (2) Curriculum vitae including, at the end, names and contact information (institutions, phones, emails, and websites if available) of at least three references; (3) Statement of research plans, which should also include plans for collaboration and alignment with the University of Tennessee?s ScAI cluster; (4) Brief statement of teaching philosophy (1-2 pages).  In addition, candidates may describe how they would help promote students' access to and inclusion in their teaching and research. Applicants should apply at  . They should also arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to this site. Review of applications will begin on December 2, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled.  Inquiries into this search should be addressed to the Search Chair, Dr. Omer San ( osan@utk.edu )

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university. Requests for accommodations of a disability should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3560 or  eoa@utk.edu or (865)974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation & Resolution 216 Business Incubator Building 2450 EJ. Chapman Drive Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 or (865)974-0717 or  investigations@utk.edu .

About University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Our primary mission is to move forward the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate the citizens of the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. As the preeminent research-based, land-grant university in the state, UT embodies the spirit of excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement attained by the nation’s finest public research institutions.

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