Tickle Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Description
The Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success, including adding over 30 new faculty 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. 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).
TCE currently has 203 tenure/tenure track and 79 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 4,300 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 29 early career awards (NSF, DOE, DARPA, AFOSR, and ARO) since 2016. In FY24, the college had annual research expenditures of $113.6M.
The Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville seeks an innovative and visionary leader to serve as the Director of its Jerry E. Stoneking engage™ Engineering Fundamentals (EF) Program. This role is central to the college's mission of preparing the next generation of engineering professionals through transformative and future-focused education. The Director will lead a program that shapes the earliest academic experiences of engineering students, ensuring that engineering freshmen develop the confidence, skills, and sense of belonging needed to thrive in their chosen disciplines. The position seeks a non-tenure-track Teaching Associate/Full Professor with demonstrated excellence in engineering education, leadership, and program development.
The Director will provide strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of the EF program. This includes overseeing day-to-day operations, supervising faculty, coordinating instructional activities, and driving enhanced pedagogical initiatives, ensuring that the program remains aligned with the TCE educational strategic plan. The role requires a leader who can cultivate a collaborative culture, support faculty development, and champion continuous improvement grounded in assessment, accreditation standards, and evidence-based teaching practices. The Director will represent the program across the college and university and advocate for initiatives that enhance first-year engineering.
The Director will lead efforts to modernize the EF curriculum by supporting faculty in embedding emerging technologies, including AI, as well as key engineering competencies such as computational thinking, data analytics, and interdisciplinary problem-solving, ensuring that students are prepared for upper-level courses and the changing demands of the engineering profession. The Director will promote active learning, project-based learning, and experiential approaches that deepen conceptual understanding and foster student engagement. They will support faculty in adopting evidence-based instructional methods such as flipped classrooms, collaborative learning structures, and inquiry-driven activities.
In alignment with TCE's strategic goals to expand access to engineering education, the Director will guide the transformation of EF courses and support the development of diverse high-quality engineering educational pathways. The Director will collaborate with TCE departments to ensure smooth transition for EF students entering TCE majors. The Director will also lead EF participation in TCE outreach activities to strengthen the engineering pipeline and enhance the visibility of the EF Program.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), is the state's flagship institution, a campus of choice for outstanding undergraduates, and a premier graduate institution. As a land-grant university, UT is committed to excellence in learning, scholarship, and engagement with society. In all its activities, the university aims to advance the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate society. The Tickle College of Engineering has experienced rapid growth in its number of faculty and student enrollment. The University welcomes and honors people of all races, genders, creeds, cultures, and sexual orientations, and values intellectual curiosity, pursuit of knowledge, and academic freedom and integrity.
Qualifications
Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in engineering, engineering education, or a closely related field
• Minimum of 3 years of undergraduate teaching experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience managing academic programs
• Dedication to first-year student success, retention, and belonging.
• Ability to inspire faculty and staff through collaborative leadership.
• Familiarity with accreditation processes, especially ABET.
• Experience supervising or mentoring faculty.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching and curriculum development.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and leadership skills
• Evidence of innovation in engineering education and pedagogical transformation

Application Instructions
Applications must include the following four documents. Please upload documents as PDFs to ensure readability:

• Cover Letter
• Vision for the EF program
• Statement of Teaching and Student Success
• CV
• 3 Professional References

Questions about the position should be directed to Dr. Kevin Kit, Chair of the Search Committee, (email: kkit@utk.edu). Positions to be filled for July 1, 2026 start. Review of applications will begin on April 24, 2026 and will continue until all positions are filled. Applications without all required documents uploaded will not be considered.