Assistant Professor of Manufacturing Engineering - Bellingham, United States - Western Washington University

Description

Position Title

Assistant Professor of Manufacturing Engineering

About the University

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.

About the Department

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.

About the College

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.

About the Position

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.
Required Qualifications

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.
Preferred Qualifications

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.

Salary

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