Aerospace Engineering Assistant or Associate Professor

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering ( at Utah State University (USU) invites applications for two tenure-track faculty positions in aerospace engineering with an emphasis in high-speed aerodynamics and hypersonic flows propulsion system identification guidance navigation and control uncertainty quantification or multi-agent systems in the context of aerospace applications.

One of the positions is broadly targeted towards candidates with research and teaching interests supporting aerospace engineering research in propulsion (rocket jet low thrust etc) high-speed fluid dynamics flight dynamics or other related areas. Computational or experimental researchers are both sought.

Research of one of the candidates will support the growing Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and related Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) fields. Specific areas of interest with regards to AAM and UAS include: the design development modeling and flight testing of AAM concepts for fix-wing and rotor eVTOL sUAS among others; application of system identification and control to AAM; unmanned traffic management (UTM) systems; propulsion for AAM systems; multi-agent systems swarming and autonomy.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a closely related field. Candidates will be considered at either the assistant or associate professor level. This is an academic-year position (funded for 9-months) with an anticipated start date of Spring 2027 or negotiable. The successful applicant is expected to establish a vibrant research program supported by external and federal funding develop partnerships that complement the existing capabilities at USU and expand MAE departmental expertise in aerospace systems.

Teaching responsibilities may be in the areas of fluid dynamics aerodynamics propulsion aerospace controls/state estimation/system identification flight dynamics and simulation or numerical methods. Additional topic courses in aerospace engineering may be developed to suit candidate expertise.

Competitive candidates will be expected to:

• Develop a significant externally funded research program that includes a strong record of peer-reviewed publications and graduate mentorship.
• Effectively teach undergraduate and graduate courses.
• Actively participate in assigned department and university duties and demonstrate leadership in relevant technical societies.

Assistant Professor:

• Ph.D. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or closely related fields.
• A strong background in engineering fundamentals.
• Evidence of emerging research streams with potential for extramural support and publication.

Associate Professor:

• Ph.D. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or closely related fields.
• A strong background in engineering fundamentals.
• Evidence of established research streams with potential for extramural support and publication.

Along with the online application please include:

1. Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under Resume/CV
2. Cover Letter describing your qualifications for the position and our vision of the role to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under Documents 1-10
3. Contact information for 3 professional references to be added to your Candidate Profile

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Employees typically work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants but not necessarily occasional temperature changes.

The MAE department has experienced significant growth over the past decade with enrollments of approximately 800 undergraduate and 100 graduate students and is the largest department in the College of Engineering. The department offers a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering; MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering Mechanical Engineering Composite Materials & Structures and Space Systems Engineering; and PhD degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. The department currently has 17 tenured/tenure-track faculty members and 4 professors of practice with additional part-time instructors from local industry and research institutions. Annual department research expenditures are approximately $3M. Successful applicants may have opportunities to work closely with scientists and engineers from the USU Research Foundation Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) one of 14 Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC). Further USU faculty also have access to the University of Utah Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) facilities and the Utah Water Research Laboratory. USU is the nearest PhD-granting institution in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering to the Idaho National Laboratory and is also in close proximity to Hill Air Force Base and other defense-related organizations.

The College of Engineering at Utah State University is a regional leader in teaching and research. The college currently has 95 tenured/tenure-track faculty members with additional professors of practice and part-time instructors from local industry and research institutions. We are home to the world-famous Utah Water Research Laboratory and the National Science Foundation-funded ASPIRE Engineering Research Center for sustainable electrified transportation. Each year our college welcomes an average of 2000 undergraduate and 300 graduate students from around the globe. The college offers five ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees and 15 graduate degree 2023-24 the college generated $40 million in research expenditures. Our award-winning faculty regularly secure competitive funding and our students excel at national design and scholarships challenges. USU is in close proximity to the Idaho National Laboratory Hill Air Force Base and other energy- and defense-related organizations. For more information please visit: Highlights