Geotechnical Faculty Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Department/Organization
214231 - Civil Const and Env Engineering
Rank
Associate Professor
Position Summary
The Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) and the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering at The University of Alabama (UA) invite applications for multiple tenure-track faculty positions at the Associate Professor rank. Candidates with research and teaching experience in the areas of architectural engineering, construction engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering and structural engineering are of particular interest.
Detailed Position Information
The Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE: https://cce.eng.ua.edu/) and the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering (SCoE: https://eng.ua.edu/) at The University of Alabama (UA: https://ua.edu/) invite applications for multiple tenure-track and tenured faculty positions at all ranks, including Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor levels, within the CCEE department.
This posting is specific for candidates applying for a position at the rank of tenure-track Associate Professor. Candidates with research and teaching experience in the areas of architectural engineering, construction engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering and structural engineering are of particular interest. Candidates should clearly indicate their specific domain area in their cover letter in bold text.
Applications from candidates with appropriate experience and a strong record of scholarly productivity and impact within other research areas who would seek appointment at the rank of Assistant or Full Professor should apply through related postings advertised at those other position/rank levels.
Toward achieving excellence in all our efforts, the CCEE department and the Styslinger College of Engineering seek to hire faculty that can contribute to both: (1) build upon existing strengths in the Department, College, and University and (2) expand the scope of research within the department, College, and UA as a whole.
The CCEE Department is seeking candidates in the domain areas of:
• Architectural Engineering;
• Construction Engineering and Management;
• Geotechnical Engineering;
• Transportation Engineering; and
• Structural Engineering
To aid potential candidates in better understanding these areas of emphasis in the current search, the following additional information is provided regarding these five subareas:
Architectural Engineering - Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in areas such as: indoor air quality assessment and improvement strategies for enhanced occupant health and comfort; advanced lighting design and controls for energy efficiency, visual comfort, and well-being; acoustic performance and sound control in building environments; integration of acoustics, air quality, and lighting systems within sustainable building designs; applied thermodynamics, heat transfer, and mechanical systems engineering applied to distributed energy technologies in facilities and/or community-scale energy applications; and applied research in these areas to improve environmental quality in residential and commercial buildings.
Construction Engineering - Candidates should have demonstrated experience in areas such as: development of novel processes and technologies in the construction industry to reduce embodied and operational carbon emissions; optimization of recycling and reuse during the project life cycle; development of novel sensors and networks for health monitoring and fault detection; digital transformation of the built environment at network and city scales to support decision making for sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems; data-driven approaches to convert passive civil infrastructure assets into live cyber-physical systems; construction and work zone safety innovations and applications; and construction safety and health under extreme conditions.
Geotechnical Engineering - Candidates should have expertise in one or more areas of geotechnical engineering, with primary interests in one of the following: sustainable geo-infrastructure, numerical geotechnical engineering, geotechnical hazard mitigation, geo-environmental engineering, foundation engineering, soil-structure interaction, slope stability, ground improvement techniques, unsaturated soil mechanics, and emerging fields such as bio-geotechnics, energy geotechnics, geothermal engineering, and carbon sequestration.
Structural Engineering - Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following: large-scale experimental testing; development and applications of advanced computational methods and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning; design and modeling of sustainable and resilient civil infrastructure systems subjected to extreme hazards including wild fires and vehicular fires; development of high-performance materials for use in innovative structural systems; 3D printing of steel or concrete elements; having an active role in development of national and international design codes and standards.
Transportation Engineering - Candidates should have experience in one or more of the following areas: network analysis/data science, freight/logistics/supply chain, connected and autonomous vehicles, multimodal transportation safety, traffic operations, sustainable transportation, transportation planning, big/crowd-sourced data as related to transportation, traffic simulation, public transportation, and transportation systems. A working skillset in computer science complementary to connected and autonomous vehicles is desirable. The CCEE department offers ABET/EAC accredited B.S. degrees in Architectural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, and Environmental Engineering. The department offers six minors in the areas of Architectural, Civil, Construction, Environmental and Water Resources, Transportation, and Structural Engineering. The undergraduate programs have a sustained enrollment of nearly 800 students. At the graduate level, the CCEE department also has active MS and PhD programs in Civil Engineering and MS program in Environmental Engineering, with a total sustained graduate enrollment of nearly 120 students.
The Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering and the Styslinger College of Engineering consider teaching, research, and service as the three critical and complimentary portions of their overall mission. Candidates must demonstrate a clear potential to successfully develop, lead, and extramurally fund a highly productive research group with significant scholarly impact in a focus area with long term potential to further build upon the rapid rise and great success of the department college. An ability to collaborate with existing faculty in the key focus areas both within the CCEE Department and the college, as well as potential colleagues across the campus, is also highly desirable.
The Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering and the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering also pride themselves on the outstanding educational experience provided to their students, and thus faculty candidates must demonstrate an ability to develop and teach classes at both the undergraduate and graduate level in the faculty member's area(s) of expertise as well as to teach courses that support the delivery and accreditation of the Department's core degree programs.
The CCEE Department, Styslinger College, and University are also notable for the collegial, welcoming and supportive spirit built into the fabric of who we are and how we interact across our College family of students, faculty, and staff. It is therefore expected that candidates demonstrate an ability to support this important aspect of our community.
Appointments to the faculty of The University of Alabama are based on the personnel requirements of the University's academic programs and on the goal of achieving and maintaining excellence in its teaching, research, and service/academic citizenship activities.
Minimum Qualifications
• Earned Ph.D. in Architectural, Civil, Construction or Environmental Engineering or a closely related discipline from an accredited institution.
• Demonstrated record of prior research work and a record of impactful scholarly publications in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and similarly impactful venues.
• Demonstrated interest and/or record in engineering education and professional service in area(s) of specialization.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Show the potential to construct and sustain a quality research program.
• Exhibit the potential for excellent teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Applicants must also meet all university criteria for appointment to the rank of Associate Professor.
Preferred Qualifications
• Have 5+ years of experience as a tenure-track/tenured faculty member at a leading peer R1 institution. • Demonstrated a record of high-quality research and scholarly publications that is recognized nationally and/or internationally. • Significant record of scholarship in architectural, civil, construction, or environmental engineering, or a closely related department with both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. • Attainment, progress toward or demonstrated interest in professional licensure or other applicable professional certification (FE or PE). • Exceptional collegial, interpersonal, and mentoring skills.
Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Required application documents include a: (1) cover letter that includes both the department name, rank of position, and domain area for which the candidate is applying (in bold text), (2) a resume/curriculum vitae, (3) a 4 to 6 page statement of research interests and plans, (4) a one to two page statement of teaching interests and plans, and (5) the names and contact information for at least four references. Review of applications will begin immediately. Applications are preferred on or before October 1, 2026 to receive fullest consideration, but the search will continue until the positions are filled. A position start-date of August 16, 2027 would be typical, but flexibility with respect to start date is possible. Questions about the position can be directed to rbertini@ua.edu. The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. Candidates from under-represented groups are encouraged to apply.
About the Division/College/School
As the premier flagship university for the state of Alabama and as one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering instruction, The University of Alabama (UA) has more than 175 years of proud engineering history. UA's College of Engineering is committed to conducting cutting-edge research that advances the frontiers of science and engineering, translating such fundamental advancements and knowledge through applied research and technology commercialization into impactful solutions which improve the human condition and address the challenges facing humankind, and using that immersive research environment to provide unparalleled educational experiences and opportunities for our students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a College, we pride ourselves on educating and preparing the next generation of engineering and computer science scholars and professionals who will positively shape the future around us. Through our educational, research, and service activities that support our overall vision to be one of the most impactful engineering programs in the nation, our College continues to provide leadership in the many professional disciplines represented by our College and to the community, state, and nation as we advance our professions, the economy, and the lives of all those whom we serve.
The UA College of Engineering is comprised of seven departments: Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. These departments currently deliver 13 different undergraduate and 15 different graduate degree programs. Overall, the College enrolls approximately 6,000 students, making it one of the largest colleges out of the more than 40,000 students on UA's campus.
While the university has been on a constant mission to advance in every aspect of its operations since its inception, UA has in particular seen transformative growth in its research enterprise and impact over the past decade. Through the efforts of The University, UA Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED), College of Engineering and its' centers, departments, and faculty, UA's research enterprise has surged dramatically higher in the last five to ten years. This recent and continuing steep growth rate of research has positioned UA as one of the fastest growing research institutions in the nation. More specifically, the UA College of Engineering has seen annual research awards and expenditures grow at an average of more than 25% per year for more than the last 5 years, now surpassing $100 million annually in new research awards. By more than doubling research over the past 5 to 7 years, the size of the graduate programs across the College has doubled as well. The continued ambitious growth of research programs amongst our existing faculty and research centers combined with the recent significant additions of a large number of new tenure-track and tenured faculty, particularly the addition of more than 60 such new highly research active faculty over the past three years, has positioned the UA College of Engineering for maintaining this steep trajectory of research growth and impact well into the future.
The educational activities of the College of Engineering and its constantly increasing volume of impactful research are enabled and supported by a tremendous combination of amazing faculty and staff, an outstanding array of modern new facilities that are the envy of its peers, and a world-class student body at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The College currently has more than 185 faculty members, and has as mentioned earlier seen the addition of significant number of new faculty over the past three years with more than 75 new faculty joining the College in that ti