Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering

UC San Diego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 111,000 - 122,000; Full time

Job summary

UC San Diego invites applications for an assistant professor (tenure-track) in AI/ML for Structural Engineering. The candidate will develop new AI/ML techniques for health monitoring, probabilistic design, and lifecycle optimization while building a funded research program.

The successful applicant will teach core courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, collaborate across departments, and advance integration of ML into structural engineering curricula and practice.

Qualifications

• Earned doctoral degree in civil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, or closely related field.
• Strong record of research with potential for external funding.
• Teaching experience at undergraduate and graduate levels is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in structural engineering.
• Maintain and grow an externally funded research program.
• Collaborate across structural engineering, computer science, and related disciplines; contribute to curriculum integrating ML with sensing and infrastructure stewardship.

Skills

Teaching ability

Research program development

Collaboration skills

Education

PhD in civil/structural/mechanical engineering

Tools

Python

MATLAB

TensorFlow

Job description

Position overview

Position title: Assistant Professor

Salary range: A reasonable salary range estimate for this position is $111,400-$122,100

The posted UC Academic salary scales set the minimum pay as determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See the following table for the salary scale for this position here: (Salary Scale) UCOP Academic Salary Scales. Please refer to the 10/1/2026 salary scale for Faculty-Ladder Ranks-Professor Series.

The base salary range, from the salary table,, for this position is $111,400-$122,100.

\"off-scale salaries\" and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience. Additional UCSD salary information can be found here: Salary Programs and Scales

Application Window

Open date: October 21, 2026

Next review date: Tuesday, Dec 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Wednesday, Jun 30, 2027 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Department of Structural Engineering (SE) at the University of California San Diego invites applications for an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) position in AI/ML for Structural Engineering.

The Department's research and teaching span four core areas: civil and geotechnical structures, aerospace structures and advanced composites, structural health monitoring and nondestructive evaluation, and computational mechanics. Applicants are expected to contribute AI/ML-driven innovation to one or more of these areas.

We seek candidates with a research focus on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) methods and machine learning (ML) approaches for structural engineering, with emphasis on structural health monitoring, structural analysis and optimization, aerospace structures and advanced composites, sustainable and innovative materials development, probabilistic performance-based design, and/or lifecycle management and optimization. The successful candidate will develop new AI/ML techniques including but not limited to, physics-informed machine learning, probabilistic modeling and uncertainty quantification, data assimilation that fuses sensing, inspection, and simulation to quantify structural and soil-structural interaction conditions, predict performance degradation, and support decision-making under uncertainty. Research may address sensing and computing for damage detection and localization, AI-driven monitoring systems for integrated soil-structure long-term resilience and risk assessment for extreme events, integration of material innovation with structural design, advanced manufacturing for innovative materials, and infrastructural digital twins for natural hazards engineering. The candidate is expected to build a vigorous, externally funded research program and collaborate across structural engineering, computer science, and related disciplines, addressing challenges in computational modeling, data-driven engineering, and uncertainty quantification. The successful candidate will also be expected to strengthen core competencies (analysis/design/computation) while integrating ML into the existing curriculum and creating new coursework that connects AI with sensing, reliability, and infrastructure stewardship. We seek applicants who can translate methodological innovation into deployable tools that improve safety, resilience, and sustainability across the built environment.

At UC San Diego, the candidate must teach undergraduate and graduate courses, maintain an active and well-funded research program, and form synergistic connections with other areas in the department and university.

The Department of Structural Engineering houses experimental facilities supporting research in advanced composites, advanced manufacturing, and advanced materials fabrication, mechanical and physical characterization, and evaluation via non-destructive evaluation/structural health monitoring (NDE/SHM) laboratories. Additionally, the department has unparalleled large-scale testing facilities allowing research into full-scale aerospace structures. These include a high-bay structural systems laboratory, a structural components laboratory, a large Caltrans 6-DOF table system for testing structural response modification devices (SRMD), the NHERI@UCSD Large High-Performance Outdoor Shake Table, and a blast simulation facility.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

An earned doctoral degree in civil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely-related field.

Preferred qualifications

Previous teaching experience.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.


• Cover Letter


• Statement of Research


• Statement of Teaching


• Miscellaneous (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Help contact: [e-mail]

About UC San Diego

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a university employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California prohibits smoking and tobacco use at all of its university-controlled properties.

The UC San Diego Annual Security & Fire Safety Report is available online at:https://www.police.ucsd.edu/docs/annualclery.pdf. This report provides crime and fire statistics, as well as institutional policy statements & procedures. Contact the UC San Diego Police Department at [phone] if you want to obtain paper copies of this report.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

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* \"Misconduct\" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.

* UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy: [https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SVSH]

* UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties: [https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination]

Job location

San Diego, CA