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Job Category:
Academic Staff
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Teaching Assistant Professor
Job Summary:
The Teaching Professor is a non-tenure track faculty appointment that recognizes excellence in instruction and educational leadership. The successful candidate will have prior experience as a teaching professor, and is expected to provide exceptional instruction, develop innovative educational programs, and foster hands-on learning experiences for students in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Aerospace Engineering (AE) degree programs. Primary teaching responsibilities will include foundational and design-oriented courses such as Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Design of Machine Elements, and Senior Capstone Design, with opportunities to teach elective courses that would serve both undergraduate and graduate students in the ME and AE programs. The individual will be expected to develop and incorporate modern instructional methods, assessment strategies, and educational technologies to enhance student learning and engagement.
The individual may serve as faculty advisor and mentor for select student competition teams, which could involve vehicles, rockets, robotics, energy or rc planes.
Responsibilities include providing technical and professional mentorship, supporting project planning and execution, promoting safe laboratory and fabrication practices, and helping student teams effectively utilize available resources. The successful candidate will serve as a primary departmental liaison for competition and will strengthen the integration of co-curricular experiences with the academic curriculum.
The successful candidate will contribute to continuous improvement of the undergraduate curriculum through regular interaction with students, assessment of learning outcomes, and collaboration with faculty and educational innovation programs. Responsibilities include advising students on academic progress and professional development, evaluating course effectiveness through assessment and accreditation processes, and helping develop and implement innovative instructional approaches that strengthen the student educational experience.
As a teaching professor, the individual will participate in departmental, college, and professional activities related to engineering education, laboratory development, experiential learning, and instructional innovation. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute ideas that enhance engineering pedagogy while engaging with the broader engineering education community to share best practices and increase the visibility of UW-Madison's engineering programs.
The position may also include responsibility for the management and continuous improvement of instructional laboratory facilities that support the ME and AE curricula. The successful candidate will oversee laboratory operations, safety protocols, instructional equipment, software, and fabrication resources to ensure that facilities remain safe, accessible, and aligned with evolving curricular needs. Working closely with departmental and College of Engineering staff, the individual will identify opportunities for equipment modernization, develop new laboratory capabilities, and incorporate emerging technologies into instructional activities.
The position may also include supervision, mentoring, and evaluation of teaching assistants. Responsibilities include coordinating instructional activities, providing feedback on teaching performance, supporting grading and student learning, and developing instructional resources that promote consistent, high-quality undergraduate education.
The teaching load for this position will be determined in accordance with university policy and will depend on the percent appointment at the time of hire.
Additional Information:
- Applicants for this position will be considered for the titles Teaching Assistant Professor and Teaching Associate Professor titles. Appointment at the Assistant or Associate level will depend on accomplishments and experience including but not limited to; a strong record of teaching, classroom innovation, the design and execution of administrative functions associated with academic instruction and the development of pedagogy/andragogy or assessment tools and resources to support quality student learning.
- The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.
- This position can be full or part-time, between 33.33 - 100%.
Key Job Responsibilities:
- Collaborates with department faculty and staff to develop teaching strategies relevant to the discipline
- Develops and designs curriculum and instructional material relevant to a course of instruction
- Oversee, maintain, and upgrade instructional laboratory spaces, equipment and software used by students and competition teams in the ME Department. Mentor national design competition teams.
- Contributes to the development of teaching and learning scholarly work including publications and presentations
- Contributes to the strategic development of curriculum and academic content through various mediums to ensure the integrity of the educational mission of the work unit
- Advises students on academic and career direction within a specific field of study
- Facilitates classroom, online and/or laboratory instruction, including assessment of student performance
- May supervise student employees involved in development or delivery of instruction
Department:
College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Compensation:
The minimum starting rate for this position is $100,000, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications of the finalist .
Required Qualifications:
- Experience as a teaching professor providing instruction in mechanics courses, design of machine elements, senior capstone design or closely related courses.
- Experience in developing innovative teaching methods, pedagogy and improvements of educational programs and/or engaging students in experiential learning.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in vehicle engineering, including one or more of the following areas: propulsion systems, vehicle dynamics, electric vehicle technologies, mobility systems, or related fields.
- Experience in activities that advance boundaries of engineering education and are disseminated in conference and/or peer reviewed papers related to engineering education.
- Experience engaging with industry and other external collaborators in an educational context.
Education:
PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, Aerospace Engineering or a closely related field.
How to Apply:
Please go to the "Apply Now" area and select your current UW Employment Status. Upload a SINGLE PDF document containing a cover letter, detailed curriculum vitae (CV) which includes a teaching statement describing how the applicant's teaching goals fit the solicitation described above, and the names and contact information for three professional references.
Contact Information:
Alissa Girdler
1513 University Ave
Madison, WI 53706
agirdler@wisc.edu
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Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.
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Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
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