Tickle Job Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Description
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) invites applications for a full-time (9-month), teaching-focused faculty position at the rank of Teaching Assistant Professor or Teaching Associate Professor (non-tenure track) with a start date of 8/1/2026. The successful candidate will support and enhance undergraduate education through high-quality instruction and instructional leadership. The appointment is expected to include classroom instruction of six (6) courses per academic year and related academic duties such as course coordination, curriculum development, and student mentoring. Summer teaching is optional and carries additional summer payment. Rank and initial appointment will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Primary teaching needs include core undergraduate courses in:
- System Dynamics
- Mechanical Vibrations
- Mechanisms/Kinematics of Machines
Responsibilities
- Teach undergraduate courses in dynamics, system dynamics, vibrations, and mechanisms.
- Develop course materials (syllabi, lectures, assignments, exams, labs/activities) and implement evidence-based instructional practices.
- Coordinate multi-section courses and contribute to course assessment and continuous improvement activities (e.g., ABET-related assessment) as appropriate to rank.
- Maintain regular office hours and provide academic support and mentoring to students.
- Participate in departmental, college, and/or university service consistent with instructional-track faculty expectations, approximately equivalent to two (2) courses per year.
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 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 now under construction that will house 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 29th 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.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications for Teaching Assistant Professor

• Education: Earned Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or closely-related discipline by the start date.
• Experience: With curriculum development, course coordination, and/or leading course assessment.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching and communication

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering, or closely-related discipline
• Experience: development of active-learning strategies (e.g. demonstrations), course coordination among multiple sections and instructors, and/or leading learning assessment
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Familiarity with modern computation and instructional tools (MATLAB, Python, numerical methods, simulation-related instruction)

Additional Qualifications for Teaching Associate Professor (if applicable)

• Earned Ph.D. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Record of effective teaching at the university level, with evidence of instructional impact (e.g., course evaluations, peer reviews, course leadership).
• Experience with curriculum development, course coordination, and/or leading course assessment.

Application Instructions
To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before July 01, 2026. (apply.interfolio.com/18685) Applications will be reviewed continuously, but those received by July 01, 2026 will receive priority. If you have any questions regarding this position please contact Dr. Doug Aaron (daaron@utk.edu)
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- List of 3 Professional References