Assistant Professor of Manufacturing Engineering

Location

Bellingham, WA | United States

Job description

Position Title

Assistant Professor of Manufacturing Engineering

Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Manufacturing Engineering Program (MFGE), as one of the four programs within the Engineering and Design (E&D) Department, offers an ABET-accredited undergraduate degree. As stated in the Department’s Mission, the engineering programs in the Engineering and Design Department have a strong commitment to teaching and scholarship that develops industry-ready graduates through a combination of creative problem-solving, analytical skills development, and experiential learning. The Engineering Programs within the Department are all very hands-on, with students involved across the curricula with experiential and student-centered teaching and learning at the heart of the teaching enterprise. Nearly all courses have a significant laboratory component to prepare students with the modern tools and processes used in industry.  The MFGE program graduates 24 students a year, has 4 full-time faculty members out of a total of 27 for the entire department, and a lab technician.   

The College of Science and Engineering and the department support Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. Both are committed to creating equitable and inclusive learning and working environments for their students, faculty, and staff. A number of faculty-led initiatives and committees focus on advancing accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom and beyond. Student clubs such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and our “Out in Science" program are also vital to advancing inclusion within the College (WWU STEM Clubs). We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity. 

Western Washington University (WWU) invites applications from candidates for a full-time, tenure-track, faculty position in Manufacturing Engineering (MFGE) with an anticipated start date of September 16, 2024. The successful candidate is expected to be appointed as an assistant professor. We seek individuals with teaching and research interests in fields relevant to Manufacturing Engineering, with specialization in areas such as manufacturing automation and robotics, manufacturing systems integration, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), intelligent systems, data analytics in manufacturing, and manufacturing systems modeling and optimization.

The position requires a strong commitment to teaching and scholarship that supports the Department’s Mission. Teaching responsibilities will include service courses for engineering, as well as advanced courses in the candidate’s area of specialization. Scholarship responsibilities will include developing and maintaining a relevant and current scholarship program that involves undergraduate researchers and partnerships with industry. It is expected that the person fulfills working, teaching, and mentoring responsibilities in ways that provide equitable and inclusive environments for all students, faculty, and staff. This position offers a unique and exciting opportunity to be part of the growth and development of the program, which will include the development of new curriculum, research areas, and laboratory facilities.

Primary position responsibilities include:  

• Developing and teaching lab-based manufacturing engineering courses with a focus on student-centered learning and with specialization in the following areas: 
  • Manufacturing automation, and robotics  
  • Manufacturing systems integration 
  • Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), and Intelligent Systems 
• Complimentary expertise in the following areas will be viewed favorably:
  • Data science and analytics in manufacturing systems
  • Optimization, modeling and simulation of manufacturing systems 
• Teaching core courses in general engineering and/or basic manufacturing. 
• Developing and maintaining a relevant program of scholarly activity that involves undergraduate researchers. 
• Participating in service and accreditation activities; and  
• Supporting the Department’s Mission.   

• One of the following: 
  • An earned Ph.D. in manufacturing, industrial or mechanical engineering or a closely related discipline, from an accredited institution at time of application or ABD at time of application. If ABD, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15th of the first year of employment (e.g., for a September 2024 start date, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15, 2025).  
  • An earned Master of Science degree in manufacturing, industrial or mechanical engineering, or a closely related discipline, and significant, recent, relevant industry-based professional experience. 
• Teaching and scholarship experience that are closely aligned with the Mission of the Department. 
• Demonstrable proficiency in the foundational theories and industrial applications within the three specialization areas listed above.  
• The ability to teach courses in the following manufacturing engineering areas: robotics, manufacturing systems integration, and manufacturing automation. 
• The ability to teach courses in one or more of the following core engineering areas: engineering design, statics, mechanics of materials, and courses on manufacturing processes.  
• The ability to maintain a relevant program of scholarly activity.  
• The ability and willingness to maintain currency in manufacturing engineering practice. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  
• The ability to work effectively with diverse students and colleagues.  

• Recent, relevant experience in industry, industry-sponsored grants, commercialization, and/or industry relations. 
• Successful prior teaching experience. 
• The ability to assist with instruction across the MFGE curriculum which includes the following areas: quality and continuous improvement, design of experiments, project management, ergonomics, machine design, CAD, CAM, CNC programming and operations, data analytics, optimization, and simulation. 

All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to [email protected] if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

The starting salary range for assistant professor appointment, tenure-track is generally between $92,000-$97,000, with placement within the position’s salary range being based on qualifications and professional experience. The entire salary range for the assistant professor position is $92,000-$106,000, with the upper end of the salary range typically being achieved through collectively bargained salary adjustments. Relocation assistance may be available per University guidelines. Salary and start-up funds are to be determined upon being offered the position

Benefits Information

United Faculty of Western Washington

Interested candidates must apply online.  For application information and instructions, go to the WWU Employment website.  A complete application should include:

1. Curriculum Vitae  
2. Application Letter: A statement that addresses how you meet the required and preferred qualifications for the position, your ability and commitment to fulfill the position's responsibilities, and your available starting date. 
3. Teaching Statement: A statement of your teaching experience, interests, and plans for teaching core and advanced courses, and any experience teaching or coordinating undergraduate student projects, particularly any that were industry-sponsored. Include a summary of teaching evaluations, if applicable. 
4. Research Statement: A statement of your research experience and interests. Include any research experience that involved undergraduate students and/or collaboration with industry. 
5. Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement: A statement of demonstrated commitment to advancing accessibility diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching, scholarship and/or service. Please describe any past contributions to accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and their impact on students, faculty, staff, and/or your field; describe how you will demonstrate a commitment in these areas in teaching, research, and/or service at Western (for context and clarification of our expectations, we encourage you to view the web page https://www.wwu.edu/diversity, which highlights the leadership, initiatives, training, and events on accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.
6. References: The names and contact information of at least three professional references. Please do not send letters of recommendation; these will only be required for semi-finalists and will be requested from the referee via the PageUp application system. 

Review of applications begins January 3rd, 2024. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Inquiries about the position may be addressed to the search committee chair, Prof. Derek Yip-Hoi, at [email protected] .

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