Assistant/Associate/Professor (Lecturer) in Aerospace Engineering

About the job

Details

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah (https://www.mech.utah.edu/) invites applications for a career-line faculty position at the Assistant, Associate, or Professor (Lecturer) rank focused on aerospace engineering with a particular interest in aerospace structures. We are looking for candidates with exceptional teaching ability at both undergraduate and master’s level in the subject areas. The position has a multiyear contract and an option to teach summer courses.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering currently has a Master of Science program in Aerospace Engineering (MSAE). The MSAE started in Fall 2025 and includes a BS/MS integrated program. The primary role of this career line position is supporting growth and longer-term development in the MSAE (https://aerospace.utah.edu). The ideal candidate would be able to:

• Develop and teach a new core course in the MSAE program. The person will be expected to work with fellow faculty in developing and teaching an introductory graduate course in aerospace structures.

• Create new graduate aerospace elective courses according to their area of expertise. These can be in any area, but space systems, rockets, and aircraft design are of particular interest.

• Demonstrate experience developing and teaching these subject areas as university courses.

• Demonstrate excellence in teaching rigorous engineering courses at the advanced undergraduate and graduate technical elective level.

• Contribute to the departmental teaching needs until the MSAE grows sufficiently large to merit a full aerospace course load. The department has a full undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum and has related Masters degree programs in systems engineering and engineering management as well as the MSAE program.

The MSAE program is an on-campus degree program, however, we anticipate substantial off-campus (remote) enrollment in select classes from students currently professionally employed in Utah. The department currently supports remote enrollment through a mixture of specifically on-line courses and on-campus courses recorded and broadcast. The ideal candidate will have experience in both traditional and remote formats and be interested in teaching in a hybrid environment. The Department draws extensive industry enrollment in MS programs. The student body in these programs is heavily professional and so the ability to interact with local industry will be valuable. An ability to develop synergistic courses and relationships between the MSAE and our other programs would be valuable.

The State of Utah has a strong aerospace and defense industry with impact on GDP well above the national average. The career-line faculty member will be expected to be active in department, university, and professional service activities. Aerospace engineering and its related fields are active areas of research in the department. The position does not carry a research expectation, but all faculty are encouraged to collaboratively contribute to the department’s research goals.

Successful candidates should have a Ph.D. in a related field, preferably with aerospace structures experience. Candidates with a track record of high-quality teaching are especially encouraged to apply. Industry experience is welcome.

Notice

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801) 366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801) 581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

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Special Instructions for Candidates

Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2026 and will continue until the position closes. Applications must be submitted electronically and should include: (1) a 1-pg cover letter highlighting the applicant’s qualifications, including related experiences in aerospace and system design and development and/or teaching of aerospace or related engineering courses, (2) a current curriculum vitae, (3) a 2-pg teaching statement, (4) student reviews of taught courses (if available) and (5) contact information for a minimum of three references.