Assistant Professor in Geotechnical Engineering

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Davis, invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track position in geotechnical engineering at the Assistant Professor level. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a significant independent research program as well as pursue synergistic collaborative research in geotechnical engineering related to the resiliency of civil infrastructure and lifeline systems across multiple hazards, which can include earthquake, wave, wind, fire, and other climate-change induced loadings. Research themes of special interest include, but are not limited to, underground construction, earthen retention systems for water and waste materials, on- and off-shore energy systems, permafrost and cryosphere systems, foundation systems, and ports and harbors.

The CEE department includes 42 faculty and 190 graduate students, obtained $15.6M in research funding in 2021, and is ranked among the top R1 universities in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The geotechnical engineering program within the department is a dynamic, collaborative, and innovative group with established research efforts in geotechnical earthquake engineering, soil structure interaction, biogeotechnics, site characterization, mining geotechnics, physics-based artificial intelligence, offshore geotechnics, and granular mechanics. The program advances research that spans from fundamental science to applied industry problems by integrating methodologies across numerical, laboratory, field, and physical modeling as enabled through the NSF-funded NHERI Centrifuge Facilities at the Center for Geotechnical Modeling (CGM). These capabilities are complimented by geotechnical-related laboratories and centers within the program, including the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics. Central to the program is the diverse ~35-person geotechnical graduate student body, whose experience is enriched through the activities of the student-run Geotechnical Graduate Student Society (GGSS).
UC Davis seeks candidates with exceptional potential for, or an exceptional record of, research, teaching, and inclusive excellence. The College of Engineering has an exciting new Next Level Strategic Research Vision. The candidate must have the interest and ability to collaborate synergistically and contribute significantly to the research and undergraduate and graduate teaching and mentoring missions of the geotechnical group and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Candidates must have a strong basis in fundamental mechanics and demonstrate potential to extend their research to systems-level problems. Creative and novel approaches that integrate experimental, numerical, and/or analytical techniques are particularly desirable. Opportunities that are synergistic with the hypergravity modeling capabilities provided by the CGM are of interest.
The successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the barriers preventing full participation of members from historically underrepresented and marginalized student communities in higher education. Applicant’s record of engagement and activities related to diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion as well as their plans for future engagement will be part of the overall evaluation of the candidate’s qualifications for a faculty appointment.
The appointment will be as an academic year (9-month) Assistant Professor. Applicants must have earned a PhD in Civil Engineering or a closely related field by the time of hire. Participation in department, college, and university service as a member of the UC Davis Division of the Academic Senate is an expectation under the faculty shared governance model.
 

Application Requirements:
Review of applications will begin December 1, 2022, but applications may be accepted until the position is filled.
Application packages should be submitted online through Recruit and should include the following documents: current Curriculum Vitae; Cover Letter (1 pg max); Statement of Research (2 pg max); Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2 pg max); Statement of Teaching (2 pg max); 3-5 publications; and contact information for 3-5 individuals from academia, government agencies, and/or industry who may be contacted to provide a letter of reference. At least one reference from outside of academia is strongly encouraged.
To learn more about the campus, college, department, and position, we invite interested parties to explore the UC Davis website, where they can find the most recent annual report and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion resources as well as web pages for the College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Geotechnical Laboratories and Centers, including the Center for Geotechnical Modeling.

Additional Information:
The full position posting is available at https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF05273.
E-mail inquiries may be addressed to Professor Jason DeJong at jdejong@ucdavis.edu.