School of Engineering - Chair - Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Job at University of Alabama at Birmingham
Position Information
School/College
School of Engineering
Title
School of Engineering - Chair - Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Assignment Category
Full-Time
Rank
Professor
Tenure Status
Tenured
Payroll Status
Faculty 9
Job Description
Position Description – Chair, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, School of Engineering
The School of Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) seeks a creative leader and outstanding researcher, teacher, and scholar to serve as tenured Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME). This is an exciting opportunity to build on a strong history of research productivity and relationships with industry leaders while also defining directions for a newly merged department. Candidates must have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a closely related discipline; prior leadership experience is preferred.
The School of Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) seeks a creative leader and outstanding researcher, teacher, and scholar to serve as tenured Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME). This is an exciting opportunity to build on a strong history of research productivity and relationships with industry leaders while also defining directions for a newly merged department. Candidates must have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a closely related discipline; prior leadership experience is preferred.
The Chair will join a department of 16 faculty, 230 undergraduate majors, 70 full-time graduate students, and more than 100 online master’s students. Current research strengths include metal castings and alloys, composites for industrial and defense applications, development and maintenance of hardware for space flight, military and civilian automotive design and safety, and computational fluid and structural dynamics. Research expenditures in these areas totaled $9.7M in FY22. The School of Engineering will be moving into a new state-of-the-art building in 2025, and the Department is further supported by a unique on-campus pilot plant and foundry facility, the
Materials Processing & Applications Development (
MPAD
) Center
as well as
Engineering and Innovative Technology Development (
EITD
) – one of the nation’s leading developers in cold storage hardware for use in microgravity and space exploration.
The Department offers excellent opportunities for collaboration with units across UAB in areas including autonomous vehicles, biomechanics, disability and rehabilitation science, innovation and entrepreneurship, nanoscale materials, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, transportation, and more. Outside the university, UAB Engineering and the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering maintain strong ties with the many steel, power, automotive, and defense companies in Alabama and nationally.
UAB is a Carnegie Level 1 research university and academic health center with more than 22,000 students and 2,400 full-time faculty members and ranks in the top 30 in the nation for federal research funding among public universities. Driven by a collaborative and entrepreneurial character, UAB is Alabama’s economic and research engine and the top provider of healthcare to Alabamians. In 2021,
Forbes named UAB the No. 1 best large employer in the nation and No. 4 for diversity. UAB was ranked the top young university in the nation and 10th world-wide in 2019 in the Times Higher Education rankings.
The next Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) is expected to pursue opportunities for growth in areas where the department can be world class, leveraging existing strengths and capitalizing on exciting opportunities for this strategically merged department. The Chair will articulate a vision for leading and building innovative programs while maintaining existing strengths. The department is a leader in manufacturing with a high technology readiness level and an emphasis on applied research with strong partnerships with industry. The Chair will encourage and support this momentum. The Chair will also expand research in both Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Engineering through strategic faculty hires and collaborations with other units across the School and University.
The School of Engineering
The UAB School of Engineering is dedicated to research excellence and providing the highest quality education to a diverse population of future engineers. It consists of four departments: Biomedical Engineering (joint with the School of Medicine), Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical and Materials Engineering. The School has approximately 50 faculty and enrolls about 900 undergraduate and 500 graduate students across six undergraduate majors and 15 graduate degree programs. The School offers highly adaptable programs that range from M.S./Ph.D. pathways to thriving online master of engineering degree tracks for working professionals. The School offers unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research collaboration within engineering, across the university, and with local industry. The School is ABET accredited with the next comprehensive view scheduled for 2024-25.
UAB Engineering emphasizes real-world, hands-on education, with students developing projects for local clients as early as freshman year. Most of our students pursue internships, co-ops, and other experiential learning, and in 2021 we launched our
Guaranteed Internship program to ensure this opportunity is available to everyone. Nearly 30% of our undergraduates are women, more than 25% are students of color, and many are first-generation college students. Most of our graduate students are working professionals employed by construction, utility, materials, and manufacturing firms in Birmingham and beyond. Beyond the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Department, the School of Engineering boasts one of the top-ranked Biomedical Engineering programs in the South, and a long tradition of advanced materials research supported by an on-campus foundry and the
Materials Processing & Applications Development (
MPAD
) Center. Our Engineering Technology and Applications Development (
EITD) group builds hardware for the International Space Station (ISS) and is supporting multiple payloads aboard the ISS at any one time.
In 2025, the School will move to an $80M state-of-the-art building as part of
UAB’s new Science and Engineering Complex. This new facility will house classrooms, teaching labs, and interdisciplinary research labs in areas ranging from neuroengineering and wearable devices to transportation and smart cities. A Student Success Center combining career services, tutoring, and advising and a Design and Prototyping Lab supporting design classes, student projects, and K-12 outreach will anchor the new building.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
UAB is home to the
College of Arts and Sciences and the
Schools of Medicine,
Dentistry,
Nursing,
Optometry,
Public Health,
Health Professions,
Engineering,
Business, and
Education. In addition, the
Graduate School and the
Honors College are organized to provide the special resources necessary for students in those schools to be successful. The
UAB
Libraries are integrated academic and health science libraries, reflective of UAB’s unique role as both a major research and teaching institution and as an academic medical center.
President Ray Watts, MD, became UAB’s seventh president in 2013. Prior to being named President, Dr. Watts had been Senior Vice President and Dean of the School of Medicine, and the John N. Whitaker Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology in the UAB School of Medicine. Provost Pamela Benoit, PhD, became Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost at UAB in 2017. She joined UAB from Ohio University, where she served as Executive Vice President and Provost for eight years.
The
University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System is an academic health system based in Birmingham with facilities and affiliations throughout the State of Alabama. The centerpiece of the system is UAB Hospital, which is today one of the four largest academic medical centers in the United States. The hospital is also the third-largest public hospital in the nation, providing patients with a complete range of primary and specialty care services. As a university hospital, UAB Hospital is a major center for clinical research and home to some of the top medical programs in America, according to
U.S. News & World Report. UAB Hospital is listed on
Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2019 list of 100 Great Hospitals in America.
The
University of Alabama System consists of three doctoral research universities: The University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville. The System is governed by the Board of Trustees. Each of the component institutions has a unique mission that is consistent with the broader mission of the System. The System’s Chief Executive Officer is Finis St. John, IV, who served for 17 years on the Board of Trustees before becoming Chancellor in 2019.
In 2019, through a process known as the
UAB
Grand Challenge, UAB launched “Healthy Alabama 2030: Live HealthSmart,” a program to expand proven innovations and to change policies, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces to make Alabama a model of healthy living. In 2021, UAB was named one of seven universities in the National Academies
Gulf Research program designed to provide scholars the background, training, education and tools to implement robust, community-oriented projects in the Gulf Coast region. CCEE is an integral player in both efforts.
For more than five decades, UAB has been pushing frontiers in education; research, innovation and economic development; community engagement; and patient care. UAB is proud to be located in the heart of Birmingham and is committed not only to creating new knowledge through research, but also translating that knowledge to improve the community, and indeed to improve society. UAB students, faculty, and staff are committed to taking an influential role as responsible stewards of our environmental resources, and to using educational, operational, and research activities to promote global sustainability thinking and local action.
Birmingham has been recognized as an “All-America City” by the National Civic League, designating it as one of the top 10 American cities to live and work, and one of the top 10 entrepreneurial and job growth hot spots in America. It enjoys a close relationship with UAB, located in the heart of downtown. The University and Birmingham have partnered on several initiatives to improve
energy efficiency and planning,
educational opportunity, and the quality of
education for children in the city. In 2018, Birmingham received a
Smart Cities Challenge grant and is partnering with UAB and the Alabama Power Company to leverage data intelligence to inform decisions and develop programs to improve the city’s infrastructure.
Birmingham is also a renowned culinary destination with a host of attractions only a short walk from UAB’s campus, including the Birmingham Civil Rights District National Monument, comprising sites such as Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute—a major destination for visitors from around the world. Birmingham’s cultural scene is thriving, with museums, numerous galleries, music and arts festivals, theatres and live music venues, a professional ballet company, a professional opera company, a School of Fine Arts, the Jazz Hall of Fame, and the recent restoration of the historic Lyric and Alabama Theatres. In September 1996, UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center became the home of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. The city has more green space per capita than any other major city in the United States.
Required Qualifications
Candidates must have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a closely related discipline;
prior leadership experience is preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
Preferred qualifications include demonstrable leadership experience. Candidates should have demonstrated academic leadership skills and vision to lead a department that is a leader in manufacturing with a high technology readiness level and an emphasis on applied research with strong partnerships with industry. This individual must be able to work effectively with a broad range of constituents, including senior leadership, faculty, students, staff, donors, and external partners.
Posting Detail Information
Posting Number
F2007P
Open Date
11/21/2022
Close Date
Open Until Filled
Yes
Special Instructions to Applicants
Review of applications, nominations, and expressions of interest will begin immediately and continue on a confidential basis until an appointment is made. Applications should include a cover letter outlining interest and qualifications (including research and teaching), a CV, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) statement, vision/leadership statement, and contact information for three professional references. References will not be contacted without permission of applicants, and formal letters of reference will be requested for finalists only. A pre-employment background check investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment. All inquiries, nominations/referrals, and applications should be submitted in strict confidence via Isaacson, Miller’s website.
Greg Esposito, Partner
Afi Tettey-Fio, Senior Associate
https://www.imsearch.com/search-detail/8786
EEO Statement
UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of, race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans.
COVID-19 Vaccination Statement
The laws and regulations regarding mandatory COVID-19 vaccination continue to evolve. Please be aware that UAB may determine that obtaining the COVID-19 or related vaccination is a requirement for this position, based on legal changes or otherwise. If that occurs, the successful candidate may be required to submit proof of vaccination or obtain an approved vaccination exemption as a condition of employment.
Pre-employment Background Check
A pre-employment background check investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment.
Drug/Nicotine Screen (if applicable)
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