Faculty Position in Materials Science and Engineering: Synthesis, Processing, and Characterization of Quantum Materials - Fall 2027

MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Department of Materials Science and Engineering invites applications for Associate or Full Professor in experimental synthesis, processing, and characterization of quantum materials, with a robust path to tenure.

The successful candidate will build a world-class program in collaboration with ORNL, mentor students, and lead multidisciplinary efforts across UTK and national facilities.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or closely related field.
• Internationally recognized record of research excellence in experimental synthesis, processing, and characterization of quantum materials.
• Demonstrated record of sustained external research funding and multidisciplinary collaborations.
• Commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching and mentorship.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead a vigorous externally funded research program in quantum materials.
• Mentor graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaborations across UTK and ORNL.
• Provide scholarly leadership and contribute to service.

Skills

Research leadership

Graduate mentoring

Teaching excellence

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or closely related field

Job description

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) in the Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), invites applications for an Associate or Full Professor position in the broad area of experimental synthesis, processing, and characterization of quantum materials. The department will pursue tenure consideration for qualified candidates. This position is intended to build upon and expand the internationally recognized leadership in quantum materials established by the MSE Department at UTK in close partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), one of the world's premier centers for quantum materials research.

The MSE Department at UTK is a vibrant and rapidly growing academic unit with internationally recognized strengths in quantum materials, electronic materials, ceramics, metals and alloys, polymers, composites, advanced characterization, computational modeling, AI/ML for materials informatics, and autonomous materials discovery. The department leverages the exceptional collaborative research ecosystem within the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM), featuring world-class facilities for materials synthesis, processing, and advanced characterization. Combined with the department's close partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and access to the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), and Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), these resources provide one of the world's premier environments for quantum materials research. Visit the department website for more information: https://mse.utk.edu/

Research Areas of Interest

We seek internationally recognized experimental researchers with demonstrated excellence in the synthesis, processing, and characterization of quantum materials. The successful candidate is expected to establish and lead a world-class, externally funded research program that advances the discovery, understanding, and development of quantum materials and quantum phenomena while strengthening the strategic partnership between UTK and ORNL.

Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

• Synthesis and crystal growth of quantum materials, including bulk single crystals, thin films, heterostructures, nanostructures, and low-dimensional materials.
• Processing and fabrication of quantum materials for fundamental studies and emerging quantum technologies.
• Advanced structural, electronic, magnetic, optical, and spectroscopic characterization of quantum materials.
• In-situ and operando characterization techniques to investigate quantum phase transitions, correlated electronic behavior, and structure-property relationships.
• Quantum materials exhibiting strongly correlated electron phenomena, superconductivity, magnetism, topology, spintronics, quantum defects, low-dimensional physics, or other emergent quantum behaviors.
• Materials development for quantum information science, quantum sensing, quantum computing, spin-based devices, or next-generation electronic technologies.
• Integration of synthesis and characterization with advanced neutron, X-ray, electron microscopy, and spectroscopy techniques available through the unique UTK-ORNL research ecosystem.

The successful candidate will be expected to provide scientific leadership within the department, establish and maintain a vigorous externally funded research program, leverage the exceptional experimental capabilities available through ORNL user facilities, foster multidisciplinary collaborations across UTK and ORNL, mentor graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and contribute to the broader quantum materials community through outstanding scholarship, professional service, and leadership.

Candidates whose research is primarily computational or theoretical will not be considered.

Teaching Areas of Interest

The successful candidate will contribute to the department's undergraduate and graduate teaching mission in electronic and quantum materials. Teaching areas may include, but are not limited to:

• Electronic Materials
• Quantum Materials
• Structure and Properties of Materials
• Materials Characterization
• Crystallography and Diffraction
• Graduate courses aligned with the candidate's research expertise

The ability to develop new graduate-level courses in areas aligned with the candidate's research is strongly encouraged.

About the Tickle College of Engineering

The Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success, including adding over 30 new faculty at all levels to the college over 4 years as part of ambitious hiring campaigns led by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank in the past three years. Key partnerships with Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) through the University of Tennessee Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UTORII) and Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) that manages the Y-12 National Security Complex have created an expanded opportunity space for faculty and students in the region. New facilities include the state-of-the-art Zeanah Engineering Complex, the University of Tennessee Manufacturing and Design Enterprise (TN-MADE) facility, and the Innovation South building that houses UTK’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF), a National Prototype Research Center (NSPC) as part of a partnership with CNS Y-12 under construction, and new facilities for the Biomedical Engineering department and a quantum foundry in planning stages.

TCE currently has 213 tenure/tenure track and over 80 non-tenure track faculty in its nine academic departments and offers 11 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD/DE degree programs. Affiliated with TCE and located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, the UT Space Institute is a hub of aerospace and defense research. The college is also home to eight research centers and three interdisciplinary institutes. With approximately 4,800 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate students, the college sits 28th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 33 early career awards (NSF, DOE, DARPA, AFOSR, AHA, and Sloan) since 2016. In FY25, the college had annual research expenditures of $113.9M.

About Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee, is a vibrant city with a beautiful and walkable downtown, thriving neighborhoods, outstanding restaurants, museums, theaters, and a rich live music scene. Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounded by lakes and the Tennessee River, Knoxville offers exceptional opportunities for outdoor recreation while remaining within easy driving distance of several major metropolitan areas. Its combination of natural beauty, affordability, and outstanding quality of life makes Knoxville an exceptional place to live and work.

Qualifications

A Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a closely related field is required.

• Qualifications appropriate for appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor
• An internationally recognized record of research excellence in the experimental synthesis, processing, and characterization of quantum materials.
• Demonstrated record of sustained external research funding.
• Excellent record of scholarly publications and graduate student mentoring.Demonstrated commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching.
• Evidence of successful multidisciplinary collaborations, particularly those involving national laboratories, large research centers, or major user facilities.
• Applicants at the rank of associate professor should be established researchers with national visibility, a strong record of externally funded research, and demonstrated potential to lead major interdisciplinary research initiatives.
• Applicants at the rank of full professor should be internationally recognized researchers with a distinguished record of externally funded research and demonstrated leadership of major interdisciplinary and/or multi-institutional research initiatives.