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Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering

The University of Vermont, one of the nation’s premier medium-sized public research universities, seeks an accomplished scholar to serve as the next Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME). ME is a community of interdisciplinary scholars working to prepare the next generation of technical and societal leaders who will thrive in a world that is volatile, complex, and full of promise and who are committed to a sustainable and equitable world, lifelong learning, and empathetic leadership.

Reporting to the Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the Chair must be an insightful and decisive manager of people and resources, an effective communicator with strong relationship building skills who can foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment. The Chair will strategically leverage the academic diversity of the department to recruit and develop faculty, build innovative programs that attract students, and forge partnerships with a wide variety of organizations and individuals across the state. The successful Chair will be an innovative leader with an outstanding teaching and research record and demonstrated administrative experience. Qualified applicants may be eligible for an endowed professorship.

Salary and start-up will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications. Candidates from all fields of mechanical engineering synergistic with our current strengths in thermo-fluids, aerospace, materials science, dynamics and control, solid mechanics, biomechanics, and robotics, or with potential to expand our department expertise to benefit our students and interdisciplinary programs, are strongly encouraged to apply.

UVM is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and inclusive excellence of the academic community through their teaching, service and research, scholarship, or creative arts. We are an educationally purposeful community seeking to prepare students to be accountable leaders in a diverse and changing world. Members of the UVM community embrace and advance the values of Our Common Ground: Openness, Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Innovation, and Justice. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to the ideals of accessibility, inclusiveness, and academic excellence as reflected in the tenets of Our Common Ground. To that end, candidates must provide a statement on how, as Faculty and Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, they would enhance the impact of Our Common Ground Values, advance diversity and inclusive excellence at UVM, and among the populations we serve.

UVM is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by federal or state law. 

The University of Vermont, established in 1791, is a comprehensive research university with a current enrollment of 12,000+ undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. The scientific and academic environments in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and throughout the UVM community are dynamic, highly collaborative, and multi-disciplinary. Reflecting our innovative and collaborative spirit, our faculty actively collaborate in their teaching and research with faculty in other UVM Colleges and Schools, plus the UVM Medical Center. The successful candidate will be joining UVM following a period of unprecedented growth that has led to the successful completion of world-class STEM facilities. 

The University is located in Burlington, Vermont, and enjoys a panoramic setting on the shores of Lake Champlain, between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Burlington, a city of 43,000 in a metropolitan area of 214,000, is often rated as one of the best small cities in America. Widely known for its music and food scene as well as its outdoor and adventure lifestyle (Outside Magazine and National Geographic), Burlington has also been hailed as a top technology hub (Forbes) and a city of the future (Business Insider). Furthermore, Burlington’s vibrant entrepreneurial and high-technology ecosystem has been recognized by the National Science Foundation’s US Ignite program, the national TechHire City network, and the Kauffman Foundation. While located in the idyllic rural state of Vermont, our frontier paradise is only a two-hour drive to Montreal and a four-hour drive to Boston. In addition, Burlington International Airport offers direct flights to numerous North American destinations. 

Qualifications:
The successful candidate should:

• - Hold a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering or in a closely related field.


• - Have developed a competitively funded, high-impact research program.


• - Have a successful record in teaching mechanical engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels.


• - Have provided research mentorship and academic advising for undergraduate and graduate students.


• - Have a strong record in professional contributions and service.


• - Demonstrate the ability to lead a department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts through prior professional accomplishment.


•  -Have administrative leadership experience or training as well as the ability to think critically, make informed decisions about complex situations, manage resources and people, cultivate relationships, and foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment.

Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will assume a range of responsibilities that include:

• - Maintaining an active research agenda, securing external funding, and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. 


• - Teaching and advising in the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs.


• - Fulfilling Department Chair responsibilities in the shared governance tradition of UVM. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, providing leadership and vision, setting department priorities and initiatives, overseeing the department budget, developing recruitment plans, overseeing reappointment, promotion, and tenure processes, supporting, retaining and mentoring faculty and staff, conducting yearly evaluation of faculty, maintaining and developing relationships with donors, and strategic planning for the future of academic programs and research in the department and college.


• - Lead departmental efforts to promote diversity and inclusive excellence through Our Common Ground Values.

Applications must be submitted online at www.uvmjobs.com (position #011246). Applicants should provide: 

1.  A cover letter which describes their qualifications and interest in the position.

2.  A current detailed curriculum vitae, including a list of publications.

3.  A statement of research interests and goals.

4.  A statement of teaching philosophy.

5.  A statement on how, as Faculty and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, you would enhance the impact of Our Common Ground Values, advance diversity and inclusive excellence at UVM and among the populations we serve.

6.  Names and (e-mail) addresses of at least three references who can be contacted after the initial application review.

Applications without each of these components will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; for full consideration applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all materials by December 15, 2024. Applications will be considered after that date until the position is filled. A background check will be conducted on each final candidate and salary will be made at a level appropriate to the successful applicant's qualifications and experience. For further information, please contact: Jeff Buzas (Jeff.Buzas@uvm.edu), Search Committee Chair.