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VCU College of Engineering

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering (MNE) Department Chair

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering (MNE) of the College of Engineering (CoE) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) invites applications for Department Chair starting in 2025.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

VCU’s College of Engineering was established in 1996 as a public-private partnership to address the need for engineering innovation in a 21st-century economy. Under a new Dean of Engineering, the college is undergoing exceptional transformations, expanding its interdisciplinary research and educational offerings and aiming for excellence in impactful thematic areas of global significance. VCU Engineering’s research collaborations with industry, community, and academic partners regularly yield breakthroughs in pharmaceutical engineering; smart cities, sustainability, and clean energy; materials development; health care, regenerative medicine, rehabilitation, and medical device development; data science and better security for cyber and cyber-physical systems. Its multidisciplinary, entrepreneurial approach to engineering education immerses undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in meaningful research investigations throughout their studies.

As part of the premier urban research university in Virginia’s capital city, VCU’s mechanical and nuclear engineering department enrolls over 600 students and offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs including a new graduate program in aerospace engineering. The department faculty collaborate closely with many VCU schools and departments, including VCU’s MCV (medical) campus and have a robust record of extramurally-funded research in areas including advanced materials, nuclear science, thermal fluid systems, computational mechanics, aerosol particle technology and drug delivery. Our graduate program and online master’s program are ranked among the best in the nation by US News and World Report and attract top students from across the U.S. and globally. Additional information about the department’s programs and faculty may be found at https://egr.vcu.edu/departments/mechanical/.

VCU Engineering has pioneered several groundbreaking centers, such as the Medicines for All Institute, an international leader in reducing pharmaceuticals' costs for underserved populations, and the recently established Convergence Lab, a landmark new $9 million DoD-funded cross-disciplinary institute focused on solving pressing defense challenges for the U.S. The college leads the Central Virginia Node of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, a state supported engine for research, innovation and commercialization of cybersecurity technologies.

VCU is a Carnegie-classified university with a very high research activity and is one of the top 100 universities (top 50 in public universities) in the U.S. in federal R&D expenditures. The College of Engineering is in an extensive growth stage, significantly increasing the number of its faculty as student enrollment rises. Embarked on rapid growth, the MNE department has 30 tenure-track, tenured, and term faculty members. The MNE department boasts exceptional achievements in various areas, including being ranked top 20 in the nation's Nuclear Engineering programs. Located in Richmond, a vibrant, art-filled and culturally rich capital city, VCU is diverse in backgrounds and experiences, where there is a shared common passion for engineering, education and stewardship for the communities we represent and serve.

Position Responsibilities: Actively work with faculty in the Department and across the University to identify and pursue research, education, and service innovations. Demonstrate leadership in recruiting and retaining high-caliber, diverse faculty. Evaluate faculty and staff performance and make recommendations for tenure, promotion, reappointment, salary adjustment, and leaves of absence. Facilitate and encourage grants and contracts from extramural sources. Encourage improvement of faculty performance by fostering good teaching and stimulating research, scholarly writing, and creative activity. Lead faculty in essential processes that shape the curriculum and have an impact on the learning of students. Effectively articulate department and college vision to internal and external constituencies. Will further develop collaboration with other departments within the college, industry, and the VCU Medical Campus. The Department is committed to developing and maintaining state-of-the-art facilities and instrumentation supporting its key research and educational mission. 

Required qualifications: Candidate must have a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering or a related area. The candidate will demonstrate management and leadership accomplishments in a progression of faculty and administrative roles. The College of Engineering at VCU champions diversity, equity and inclusion in all that we do. Cultivating an ecosystem where differences are celebrated and our faculty, staff, and students have the opportunity to thrive is at the core of how we operate. The successful candidate will demonstrate experience that shows their commitment to fostering such an environment. Candidate must be an internationally recognized scholar with distinguished academic records commensurate with the rank of a tenured professor. Candidates must have a well-developed scholarly/research portfolio with evidence of multi-disciplinary applications and external funding appropriate to complement and expand expertise in the department.

Application Process: Candidates should upload their application on vcujobs.com, including a cover letter, curriculum vitae, diversity, research and teaching statements, and the names and e-mail addresses of four references. Reference letters will be requested by the search committee for candidate finalists. Only complete applications will be considered. For additional information, please contact the Chair of the faculty search committee, Nastassja A. Lewinski, Ph.D., email: nalewinski@vcu.edu.