Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering

Utah; Salt Lake City (UT); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering, starting August 1, 2027. The successful candidate will build an externally funded research program and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in structural engineering.

We seek strong communicators who can work across disciplines, mentor students, publish scholarly work, and contribute to departmental, college, and university

Qualifications

• PhD in Civil Engineering or closely related field required before hire.
• Strong communication and collaboration with diverse stakeholders essential.
• Candidate should be on a path to PE licensure and able to teach structural design courses.

Responsibilities

• Develop an externally funded research program in structural engineering.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in structural engineering.
• Mentor students, publish scholarly work, and contribute to service.

Skills

Structural design

Research leadership

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering

Job description

Position Information

Proposed Faculty Rank Assistant Professor

Department 00058 - Civil and Environmental Engin

City Salt Lake City, UT

Track Tenure Track

New Position to Begin 08/01/2027

Details

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering ( CVEEN ) at the University of Utah invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in the area of Structural Engineering with an anticipated start date of August 1st, 2027. This position is anticipated to be filled at the Assistant Professor level.

Position Description – The successful applicant will be required to develop an externally funded research program, teach undergraduate and graduate courses in structural engineering, mentor undergraduate and graduate students, produce scholarly publications, collaborate with other faculty on professional development interests, and provide departmental, college, university, and national professional service. An earned Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline before the date of hire is required. Strong communication skills and the ability to work collegially and collaboratively with diverse internal and external constituencies are also necessary. The candidate shall hold a PE license or be on the path of obtaining a PE license and be able to teach structural design courses. To address the transformative leaps in structural engineering technologies, innovative research and teaching approaches will require inspirational leaders with adaptive abilities in areas including (but not limited to):

• Trustworthy AI-Enabled Structural Engineering and Digital Twins: Development of physics-informed, domain-guided, and uncertainty-aware artificial intelligence for structural analysis, design, optimization, and risk assessment. Interests include sensor-to-model translation, computer vision, scientific machine learning, surrogate and reduced-order models, inverse design, and interoperable digital twins that update asset condition and support transparent engineering decisions rather than black-box prediction.

• Infrastructure Integrity, Structural Health Monitoring, and Lifecycle Extension: Sensing, noncontact imaging, remote sensing, UAVs/robotics, and data-model fusion for detecting damage and deterioration in buildings, bridges, and energy infrastructure. Emphasis includes fatigue, fracture, corrosion, durability, remaining-capacity and service-life prediction, risk-based inspection and maintenance, targeted repair, and self-repairing or bio‑inspired approaches that extend the useful life of existing infrastructure.

• Multi-Hazard and Climate-Resilient Structural Systems: Performance-based assessment, design, retrofit, and recovery under earthquakes, hurricane and tornado winds, flooding, wildfire and wildland-urban-interface fire, post‑fire slope hazards, landslides, and other compound or cascading events. Interests include probabilistic and uncertainty-informed methods, nonstationary climate and exposure, infrastructure interdependencies, and links from component response to network function, and resilience of rural and energy systems.

• Advanced Computational Mechanics: Multiscale and multiphysics methods for failure, fracture, nonlinear dynamics, fluid‑structure interaction, geohazard‑structure interaction, and coupled soil‑structure systems. Relevant approaches include high‑performance computing, open and reproducible simulation frameworks, hybrid physics‑data models, and thermo‑hydro‑mechanical formulations for underground, coastal, nuclear, geothermal, carbon‑storage, and other infrastructure operating under severe or evolving conditions.

• Low-Carbon, Architected, and Digitally Manufactured Structural Materials: Design, processing, mechanics, fabrication and qualification of high‑performance and sustainable construction materials, including low‑carbon and carbon‑storing cementitious systems, UHPC , mass timber, fiber‑reinforced composites, multi‑functional materials, metamaterials, metastructures, bio‑inspired and bio‑mimicking structures and materials to optimize system performance and sustainability in the built environment. Interests include additive and automated construction, digital fabrication, topology‑informed reinforcement, cold‑spray and other repair technologies, and structure‑property‑durability relationships across scales.

• Experimental, Field, and Cyber-Physical Validation: Large‑scale laboratory and field testing, wind and fire experiments, shake‑table studies, integration of cyber‑physical systems (e.g., NSF NHERI ), development of hybrid simulation techniques that enhance understanding of structural behaviors under extreme or coupled excitations, including corrosion and time‑dependent degradation, and advanced material characterization that connect mechanics, sensing, and computation. Priority is placed on benchmark datasets and validation methods that quantify uncertainty, test transferability, support human‑AI teaming, and translate research into inspection practice, performance‑based design, retrofit guidance, codes, standards, and deployable decision tools.

Candidates with strong core fundamentals that allow them to work across disciplinary boundaries are particularly encouraged to apply. We are seeking highly motivated team players who are looking to help advance our exciting undergraduate and graduate engineering programs.

Being part of the Big 12 Conference, the University of Utah is a Carnegie Research 1 University located in Salt Lake City at the foothills of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. Founded in 1850, the University of Utah now enrolls over 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The area experiences the four seasons and is known for world‑class outdoor recreational activities including skiing, hiking, and biking. The State of Utah has more national parks and scenic areas than any other state. Growth in transportation, energy, mining, software, semiconductors, finance, education, healthcare, and business job sectors have contributed to the State’s prosperity, despite the difficult national economy.

The CVEEN department is one of seven rapidly growing departments within the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering. In the past decade, the number of tenure‑track faculty positions has grown by 50% and research expenditures have more than tripled, to $81.5 million per year, placing our College in the top 30 engineering universities in the country for research volume (2022). The CVEEN department currently has 22 tenure‑track faculty members and 5 lecturing faculty, plus we are actively searching for 5 positions including this vacancy. Our enrollment is 100 full‑time graduate students, and 440 undergraduate students. The department has an active research program with over $19 million in external funding in 2023. Additional information about the department is available at www.civil.utah.edu.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Information

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy‑related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX ( OEO ). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number, can be located at https://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/. Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu.

Notice

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at [phone] for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post‑retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at [phone] or [phone] or University Human Resource Management at [phone] if you have questions regarding the post‑retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen. https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/ This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security‑related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.

Special Instructions for Candidates

Open Date 09/08/2026

Open Until Filled Yes

Requisition Number PRN01578CF

Type Faculty