Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

Role details

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Vanderbilt University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level beginning Fall 2027. The successful candidate is expected to conduct research at the intersection of built infrastructure in contested and extreme environments and force protection as it relates to national defense, security and/or space.

Modern warfare increasingly emphasizes protection of critical assets — from hardened and underground facilities to shelters for aircraft, missile systems, and other high-value infrastructure — demanding advanced understanding of materials, structures, and infrastructure systems that can withstand blast, impact, thermal, and subsurface threats, as well as advanced sensing and autonomous monitoring of infrastructure systems operating in such extreme environments. Similarly, future human habitation in space requires development of new and resilient materials, structures and built infrastructure that can withstand the extreme and demanding extraterrestrial environments.

The research area must complement and strengthen one or more of the existing thrust areas in the CEE department: materials and structural engineering; infrastructure systems engineering; and sustainability science and engineering. The successful candidate is expected to build on the department's established strengths in structural mechanics, materials, and computational modeling under extreme loading conditions.

The successful candidate is expected to leverage and be closely affiliated with on-going research initiatives and centers at Vanderbilt University such as the Institute for National Security; Vanderbilt Center for Simulation, Computational Modeling and AI-Integrated Learning for Engineering Systems (SCALES); Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate (VSEC); and Vanderbilt Institute for Innovation Beyond Earth (VIIBE). The successful candidate will be expected to adopt Vanderbilt’s “radical collaboration” concept and leverage resources and expertise that exist within the School of Engineering, as well as the University as a whole.

This initiative is part of our commitment to establishing an interdisciplinary Defense Tech Cluster aimed at advancing technologies for national defense and security that can be scaled and translated into products. The cluster is guided by a school-wide committee. This hiring focus reflects our dedication to strengthening collaboration across disciplines within the School of Engineering. Our goal is to train the next generation of engineering leaders to uncover new insights and identify solutions to the key challenges as outlined in our strategic plan: improving health for all humans, ensuring a sustainable planet, enhancing national security, and innovating beyond Earth.

The new faculty member will be expected to (i) establish a nationally recognized research program with extramural funds, (ii) teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and (iii) contribute to synergistic efforts within the department, school, and university. A PhD in civil engineering or a closely related discipline must be in hand at the time of the appointment. Applications should include a (i) cover letter (ii) complete curriculum vitae, (iii) statement of research, (iv) statement of teaching, and (v) a minimum of three references. Application materials are to be submitted online at apply.interfolio.com/196094.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received; those received by December 31, 2026, will be given full consideration.