Structural Engineer

The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Virginia Tech invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in structural engineering and materials at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. We are seeking candidates motivated to contribute to a collegial, interdisciplinary community in several core mission areas of the university.  Candidates hired at the rank of Associate Professor are required to demonstrate a record of academic accomplishment.

The department has 53 faculty, and a current enrollment of 320 graduate students and 700 undergraduate students. The department ranks 10^th and 9^th in undergraduate and graduate education, respectively, among all U.S. civil and environmental engineering departments (USN&WR).  With classroom and lab facilities in Blacksburg, Virginia and in the Greater Washington D.C. metro area, the department is one of the largest civil and environmental engineering programs in the U.S.

Virginia Tech is a public land-grant 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 InclusiveVT—serving 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. The mission of the College of Engineering, whose undergraduate program ranks 13th and graduate program ranks 31st among all U.S. engineering schools (USN&WR), is to educate and inspire our students to be critical thinkers, innovators and leaders. Our core values are inclusiveness, excellence, integrity, perseverance and stewardship.

This faculty position will be filled at Virginia Tech's main campus, located in Blacksburg, Virginia.  Blacksburg, and the surrounding areas, are consistently ranked among the country's 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 Tech’s exciting new Innovation Campus in Alexandria, VA, slated to open in 2024. The Structural Engineering and Materials (SEM) program has excellent facilities to support research, education, and outreach initiatives. The Via Endowment allows the CEE department to offer scholarships and fellowships to highly qualified students.

The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering or a closely aligned field. We are seeking candidates contributing to the resilience and sustainability of the built environment considering ever-evolving natural and manmade hazards with an emphasis on one or more of the following fields: structural steel systems; computational mechanics and analysis; structural systems and reliability. Complementary strengths in some of the following areas are preferred, but not required: large-scale experimentation; computational modelling and design for extreme events and climate-related effects; use of innovative steel materials, processes or systems to improve resilience, fatigue, fracture, or corrosion performance of structures; data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence applied to structural engineering. The candidate is expected to develop a successful research program leveraging multi-disciplinary collaborators and supported by federal, state and/or industry sponsors, to tackle critical research questions at the intersection of structural design, behavior, and safety. The candidate is expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in one or more of the following areas: steel structures, structural analysis, structural mechanics, structural dynamics, and structural reliability. Professional experience and the capacity to obtain registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) is desirable, but not required.  The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check as well as documentation of COVID-19 vaccination or receive approval from the university for a vaccination exemption due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief.

Applicants must apply online at jobs.vt.edu (job number 517854): application materials include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement discussing teaching, research, and professional goals, a statement on contributions to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and contact information for at least three references. Review of applications will commence on November 15, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. Questions regarding the position should be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Matthew Eatherton (meather@vt.edu; 540-231-4559).

The department fully embraces Virginia Tech’s commitment to increase faculty, staff, and student diversity; to ensure a welcoming, affirming, safe, and accessible campus climate; to advance our research, teaching, and service mission through inclusive excellence; and to promote sustainable transformation through institutionalized structures. Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation, please contact Debbie Cooper at decooper@vt.edu at least 10 days prior to the event.