Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Role details

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MS&E) within the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science invites applications for a tenure track assistant professor with specialization in design of materials for extreme environments exploiting transmission electron microscopy tools. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2027. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a strong funded research program, contribute to our educational mission, complement our existing strengths, and collaborate effectively with colleagues.

The successful candidate must also be committed to the enhancement of inclusive excellence so that world-class faculty, staff, and students can thrive to their full potential. Lehigh’s MS&E Department ( https://engineering.lehigh.edu/mse ) maintains active research in the areas of ceramics, glasses, polymers, electronic materials, biomaterials, metals, modeling/simulation, and electron microscopy. The MS&E faculty includes fellows of professional societies and award winning professors, including many NSF CAREER award winners.

Opportunities also exist to collaborate with researchers from other departments within and outside the engineering college as well as with Lehigh University’s research centers and institutes which information can be found here: https://www2.lehigh.edu/research/research-centers-institutes . Lehigh maintains one of the most comprehensive electron microscopy facilities in the U.S., with a suite of nine scanning, transmission, and scanning/transmission instruments. The facility also houses the world's highest resolution analytical electron microscope that is custom designed for nanoscale analysis and atomic resolution imaging.

More information on the materials characterization facility can be found at: https://ifmd.lehigh.edu/facilities . Founded in 1865, Lehigh University has combined outstanding academic and learning opportunities with leadership in fostering innovative research. Recognized among the nation's highly ranked research universities, Lehigh offers a rigorous academic community for over 7,500 students. Lehigh University has some 5,800 undergraduates, 1,800 graduate students, and nearly 600 full-time faculty members. Lehigh University is located in Bethlehem, PA, a vibrant and historic area. Over 840,000 people live in the Lehigh Valley, which is in close proximity to New York City and Philadelphia.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in metallics and/or ceramic structures, phase transformations, microstructural evolution, and structure-property relations of metallic and/or ceramic systems as pertaining to defect evolution during processing and under exposure to extreme environments such as high temperatures and radiation. The successful candidate is also expected to have expertise in electron microscopy and become an extensive user of Lehigh’s electron microscopy facilities. Highly qualified candidates in other research areas may also be considered.

Applicants are expected to have earned a doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering or a directly related field by the date of employment, and the ability and interest to teach core MS&E courses.

Application deadline: 2026-12-11