Faculty Position in Robotics

Job Description

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech seeks applications for a tenuretrack faculty position (assistant/associate) in intelligence embodiment and learning in robotics effective August 2025. Given the rapid advancements and increasing integration of intelligence in robotics (including computational intelligence and physical intelligence) we seek candidates focused on fundamental research in robotics and robot learning with a focus on areas such as vision and language models continual learning reinforcement learning learning from demonstrations representation learning and morphological computation with applications in diverse robotic tasks. We are interested in candidates who can catalyze the integration and analysis of datadriven and modelbased techniques in robotics and control systems. Candidates interested in establishing tailored artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning robotic courses for undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply. We seek candidates motivated to contribute to a collegial interdisciplinary community with a strong tradition of fundamental and applied research.

The Mechanical Engineering Department currently has 76 faculty members and is home to over 1250 undergraduate and 350 graduate students. Virginia Tech is a public landgrant university committed to teaching and learning research and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia the nation and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve) Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVTserving in the spirit of community diversity and excellence. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our community in preparing leaders for the world. In the U.S. News & World Reports 2024 Best Colleges report the College of Engineerings undergraduate program ranks 13th and the graduate program ranks 31st among all U.S. engineering schools and the Mechanical Engineering Departments undergraduate program ranks 13th and the graduate program ranks 17th. The Mission of the College of Engineering is to educate and inspire our students to be critical thinkers innovators and leaders. Our core values are inclusiveness excellence integrity perseverance and stewardship.

Virginia Techs main campus is located in Blacksburg VA in an area consistently ranked among the countrys best places to live. In addition our program in the Washington D.C. area offers unique proximity to government and industry partners and is also expanding rapidly with Virginia Techs exciting new Innovation Campus in Alexandria VA slated to open in early 2025.

Required Qualifications

The successful candidate will have a PhD in mechanical engineering or a closely related field a strong record of academic accomplishments a proven ability to work collaboratively a commitment to interdisciplinary research and instruction and a willingness to expand disciplinary boundaries to address complex technical and societal challenges.

Appointment Type

Regular

Review Date

November 8 2024

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a handson transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problemsolvers. A comprehensive landgrant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36000 undergraduate graduate and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges a school of medicine a veterinary medicine college Graduate School and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.