Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate Professor

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus, invites applications for full-time, tenure-track faculty position to start in Fall 2026. The position is intended for the rank of Assistant Professor, although exceptional applicants may also be considered for the higher rank. The College of Engineering and the Department seek to grow their capability for research and education in sustainable space operations to enable a more sustainable, robust, and enduring space ecosystem. This includes spacecraft propulsion enabling new missions and applications for spacecraft, repairing and refueling spacecraft, building structures in-orbit, and fabricating components in space as dictated by rapid emerging needs. The desired areas of expertise include (but not limited to): space propulsion, space robotics, deployable space structures, on-board sensing, autonomy and AI to support space operations.

The job duties at each rank include establishing an impactful research program, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, developing new courses at undergraduate and graduate levels, advising students and service to the institute and the profession, and contributing to a diverse and inclusive community of faculty, staff and students. Applicants must have an earned doctorate in aerospace engineering or a related field by the start date. Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Applicants should submit electronically a single pdf file that contains: a cover letter; a CV; a single (5 pages max) summary of their activities and interests; and the names and contact information for at least three references. Within their summary, applicants should articulate: their plans to establish a research program attracting outside research sponsorship, contributing to the aerospace industry in the sustainable space operations, and resulting in published research findings; their vision for collaborating with the disciplinary strengths already in place within the Department and around Penn State in support of cross-disciplinary research and teaching; reflecting Penn State’s commitment to our educational mission, candidates should articulate their interests and experience in supporting undergraduate and graduate programs through teaching and advising.

The search committee is already reviewing applications as they are received; responses received before October 15, 2025, are assured full consideration, and the search will remain open until the position is filled.

Inquiries can be sent to Amy Pritchett ([email protected]), Professor and Head of Aerospace Engineering.

About the Department:

The mission of the Penn State Department of Aerospace Engineering is to nurture and grow aerospace engineers capable of addressing the emerging needs of the aerospace industry. Our vision is to use our collective technical ability and our collective passion for flight to grow thought leaders and technical innovators in our field and to create an environment in which: our faculty are the top scholars and creative leaders in our field, and our students are steeped in an inclusive culture valuing a rigorous approach to tough problems faced by the Aerospace Industry.

We have crafted this mission and vision to reflect both our passion for the field of aerospace engineering, and our chosen strategy of contributing to the field by nurturing and supporting people in all their career stages - undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty - and the community within which we operate. We believe that we have a unique competitive advantage in our emphasis on supporting people and community: we attract faculty who want to work together in a collegial environment with all the benefits this brings to faculty productivity and inter-disciplinary efforts; our instruction is based on a vision of supporting the whole person; and inclusivity is vital to our community.

Our community includes 7 (?) teaching faculty, 21 tenure-line faculty, and numerous active emeritus faculty, research faculty, and collaborators in other engineering departments and in the Applied Research Lab. Excitement for our undergraduate and graduate programs are strong and we are growing steadily. We moved to the new Engineering Collaborative Research & Education (ECoRE) building in summer 2024, and academic year 2024-2025 involves settling into its new research labs, dedicated fourth-year student capstone design space, and innovative classrooms.

Our community includes 5 teaching faculty, 21 tenure-line faculty, and numerous active emeritus faculty, research faculty, and collaborators in other engineering departments and in the Applied Research Lab. Excitement for our undergraduate and graduate programs are strong and we are growing steadily. We moved to the new Engineering Collaborative Research & Education (ECoRE) building in summer 2024, and academic year 2024-2025 involves settling into its new research labs, dedicated fourth-year student capstone design space, and innovative classrooms.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

BENEFITS

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional wellbeing. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

For more detailed information, please visit ourBenefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging in all its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports both broad and specific equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive. We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission.

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