Assistant or Associate level Professor in MAE or BME with emphasis on Foundational AI at InsideHigherEd

Assistant or Associate level Professor in MAE or BME with emphasis on Foundational AI

Location:
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Open Date:
Oct 6, 2025
Description:

UT is searching for additional faculty to strengthen the university’s position as a global leader in foundational artificial intelligence; this position is among them. Recruitment into the Foundational AI cluster creates opportunities to build bold agendas that advance big ideas. The successful candidate will join a team of approximately 40 established and successful faculty with shared and complementary research interests in theoretical machine learning, AI theory, ML accelerators, representation learning, reinforcement learning, neurocognitive dynamics, and a strong desire to grow the scholarly and educational impact of their work. For early career faculty, the cluster also offers a unique framework for professional development and mentorship within a rich transdisciplinary environment.

The ideal candidate for this position has a collaborative mindset and prioritizes working with colleagues to realize shared research and educational achievements, including large-scale proposals, joint publications, and new transdisciplinary curricular programming. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant institution, UT is particularly interested in recruiting candidates who are deeply connected to the organizations and communities in which their work will have translational impact.

The successful candidate will be expected to (1) conduct and publish scholarly research; (2) pursue funding to support an active research agenda; (3) teach undergraduate and graduate courses; (4) mentor graduate students; and (5) participate in departmental service.

The foundational AI cluster is part of the “It takes a Volunteer” cluster hiring initiative at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. This cluster aims to build a team of excellence from interdisciplinary areas, including computer science and engineering, biomedical engineering, neuro and cognitive science, and mathematics. As part of this institutional priority initiative, new hires will join a dynamic core group of collaborators with complementary experience and a shared interest in building a national reputation for excellence and innovation in foundational AI. 

The Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success, including adding over 30 new faculty to the college over 4 years as part of ambitious hiring campaigns led by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank in the past three years. New facilities include the state-of-the art Zeanah Engineering Complex, the University of Tennessee Manufacturing and Design Enterprise (TN-MADE) facility, and the Innovation South building that houses UTK’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF).

TCE currently has 203 tenure/tenure track and 79 non-tenure track faculty in its nine academic departments and offers 11 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD/DE degree programs. Affiliated with TCE and located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, the UT Space Institute is a hub of aerospace and defense research. The college is also home to eight research centers and three interdisciplinary institutes. With approximately 4,300 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate students, the college sits 29th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 29 early career awards (NSF, DOE, DARPA, AFOSR, and ARO) since 2016. In FY24, the college had annual research expenditures of $113.6M.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications: A PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or a related discipline at the time of appointment. 

Preferred Qualifications:Previous experience working in the convergent areas of neuro-engineering, brain-computer interface,AI/ML and neuro-cognitive science, AI/ML and dynamical system analysis, representation learning, and uncertainty quantification with a tie to human intelligence.

For an Appointment at the Assistant Professor rank: The candidate is expected to show potential for obtaining funding for the research programs, and for participation in interdisciplinary teams. The candidate is also expected to show effective, high-quality teaching skills, and the ability to effectively mentor undergraduate and graduate students.

For an Appointment at the Associate Professor rank: The candidate is expected to have conducted nationally/internationally recognized research works and show strong leadership potential. The candidate is also expected to show effective, high-quality teaching skills, and the ability to effectively mentor undergraduate and graduate students

Application Instructions:
Applicants should electronically submit the following via Interfolio.

1.       CV

2.       Cover Letter

3.      Teaching Statement

4.      Research Statement

5.      Representative publications (not more than 3)

6.      A list of three references, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers.

Applications should be submitted to the online listing (https://apply.interfolio.com/175382). Review of applications will begin November 7^th, 2025, and continue until the position is filled. Please submit your application by November 7^th, 2025, to ensure full consideration. Please contact the search chair, Dr. Subhadeep Chakraborty ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university.

Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to [email protected], or by phone at 865-974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation and Resolution, 216 Business Incubator Building, E J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to [email protected], or by phone at 865-974-0717.