Position Information

Proposed Faculty Rank Assistant/Associate/ Professor (Lecturer)

Department 00068 - Mechanical Engineering

City Salt Lake City, UT

Track Non Tenure Track

New Position to Begin Fall 2025

Details

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah (https://www.mech.utah.edu/) invites applications for a career-line faculty position at the Assistant, Associate, or Professor (Lecturer) rank focused on engineering design education, with a primary assignment of teaching and directing the Senior Design Capstone Program (https://www.mech.utah.edu/capstone/). We are looking for candidates with exceptional teaching ability in engineering design at the senior undergraduate level.

The Senior Design Capstone Program is the culmination of the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum. The program matches teams of motivated senior undergraduate students with a multi-disciplinary project defined and funded by either an industry or academic sponsor. During the two-semester course sequence (ME EN 4000, ME EN 4010), students dedicate approximately 9 hours/week to scope, identify customer needs, research, analyze, design, prototype/manufacture, and test a solution to meet the project’s objectives. Teams have access to all undergraduate mechanical engineering labs and facilities, including a dedicated 3700 sq.ft. capstone maker space. The Senior Design Capstone Program is supported by department staff including a capstone maker space lab manager, an industrial outreach coordinator, and department administrative staff.

The career-line faculty member will serve as the primary instructor of the Senior Capstone Design Program. As primary instructor, the faculty member will develop and oversee curriculum for Senior Capstone Design Program courses, such as ME EN 4000 and ME EN 4010. The faculty member will teach both courses every fall and spring semester. These classes will be taught in person. The career-line faculty will be supported by a team of co-instructors (Department of Mechanical Engineering faculty members) who will provide mentorship and instructional support to individual teams. As primary instructor, the career-line faculty will be responsible for coordinating the teaching efforts of all co-instructors and interfacing with capstone department staff. The career-line faculty member must also serve as an effective liaison with industry and external stakeholders to establish partnerships and promote the Senior Design Capstone Program. Additionally, the career-line faculty member will be expected to be active in department, university, and professional service activities. The position does not carry a research expectation, but all faculty are encouraged to collaboratively contribute to the department’s research goals.

Successful candidates should have a Ph.D. in a related field, preferably with engineering design pedagogy and/or product design/development experience. Candidates with a track record of high-quality teaching are especially encouraged to apply. Industry experience is welcome.

The University of Utah, a member of the Association of American Universities, is a research-focused institution home to more than 35,000 students, world-class faculty and researchers, a medical campus, and many start-up companies. The University of Utah maintains more than 50 on-campus recharge centers with state-of-the-science infrastructure to robustly support aerospace materials research. The Department of Mechanical Engineering has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, fueled by the State of Utah’s “Engineering Initiative”, and currently houses 40 tenure-line faculty members, over 1,000 undergraduate and 250 graduate students (140 PhD students).

The University of Utah campus is situated in Salt Lake City, a growing, increasingly diverse, metropolitan city with a population of 1M nestled against the backdrop of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. The greater SLC valley is an important economic hub of the Mountain West and is home to several large technology and Fortune 500 companies. SLC residents enjoy a highly accessible and walkable downtown with vibrant restaurants, sports, nightlife, and cultural events. Salt Lake City residents enjoy easy access to national parks (8 within a few hours’ drive), world-class skiing/snowboarding (7 resorts within 1 hour), hiking, fishing, biking, and rafting/kayaking. In addition, faculty members enjoy free access to public transportation and the convenience of an international airport located only 15 minutes from campus.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Information

All qualified individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

The University of Utah is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action ( OEO /AA). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at:

https://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/

Online reports may be submitted at oeo.utah.edu

Notice

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801) 366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801) 581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

https://safety.utah.edu/safetyreport This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.

Special Instructions for Candidates

Review of applications will begin on January 1, 2025. Applications must be submitted electronically and should include: (1) a cover letter highlighting the applicant’s qualifications, including related experiences in product design and development and/or teaching engineering design-related courses, (2) current curriculum vitae, (3) a statement of teaching interests (2 pages), and (4) contact information of three to five references.

For application submission questions, please contact department manager Tiffany Benson (tiffany.benson@utah.edu)

Open Date 11/15/2024

Close Date 01/15/2025

Open Until Filled No

Requisition Number PRN01310CF

Type Faculty