Job description
College of Engineering at Texas A&M University invites applications for Professor and Department Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. This is one full-time, tenured, 11-month appointment beginning August 1, 2027. The Department is seeking a leader to build on substantial recent growth in faculty, enrollment, and research activity and to define the next stage of its development. We seek an engaging and energetic leader with the judgment and ability to turn shared goals into deliverables. The successful applicant will be a clear communicator who has a strategic vision for building on the Department’s established strengths in research, education, and impact in materials. As a tenured professor, they will be required to teach, advise and mentor graduate students, develop an independent, externally funded research program, participate in all aspects of the department’s activities, and serve the profession.
The Department Head will:
- Set and communicate a clear direction for the Department
- Work with faculty and staff to establish Department priorities and deliverables
- Maintain a strongly supportive culture grounded in character and integrity
- Recruit, develop, retain, and mentor faculty across all career stages
- Strengthen the Department’s engagement and reputation in materials
- Provide effective administrative leadership
- Manage departmental resources and finances to meet current needs
- Recruit, develop, and retain highly effective staff
- Invest in the Department’s growth in teaching, research, service, and extension
- Ensure excellence in the academic enterprise
- Maintain alignment with ABET requirements at the undergraduate level
- Expand and strengthen workforce preparation in materials science and engineering
- Interdisciplinary research and external funding
- Develop and strengthen research partnerships with industry
- Build research collaborations with government agencies and national laboratories
- Drive major cross-university multidisciplinary opportunities and position the Department for large-scale external funding
- Strengthen development and stakeholder relationships
- Build and strengthen relationships with former students
- Develop strategic relationships with industry partners
- Cultivate relationships with other stakeholders, including private individuals, foundations, and philanthropic entities
- Expand support for scholarships, endowments, and other development priorities
Qualifications
Candidates must hold an earned doctorate in materials science and engineering or a closely related engineering or science discipline, and a record of research and scholarship that merits appointment as a tenured full professor, with an established national reputation as a scholar and leader. Candidates must also have demonstrated leadership and administrative experience in academia, government, industry, or national laboratories; a record of leading externally funded research and applied technology programs; strong communication; and effective interpersonal skills.
How to apply
Applicants must submit the following at apply.interfolio.com/194781: a cover letter; curriculum vitae; a personal statement to include philosophy and plans for research, teaching, and service; a list of 4 references (including postal addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses), and a 3-page statement summarizing their personal vision and goals for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s education and research, as well as their philosophy of academic leadership for achieving those goals.
Full consideration will be given to applications received by January 1, 2027. Applications received after that date may be considered until the position is filled.
Job Contact: Tom Blasingame, Chair, Search Committee ([email protected]).
Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.
The University is aware that attracting and retaining exceptional faculty often depends on meeting the needs of two careers and therefore has a Dual Career Program.
