Assistant/Associate Professor-Climate-smart Circular Bioeconomy Engineering
About The Position
The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in Climate-smart Circular Bioeconomy Engineering. This position is part of a Strategic Hiring Initiative cluster hire coordinated by the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment (iSEE) and the newly established Levenick Center for Climate-smart Circular Bioeconomy. The cluster hire includes four faculty positions across ABE, Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE), Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES), and Plant Biology departments. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, located in the heartland of agricultural production, is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to circular bioeconomy systems leading to solutions with sustainable productivity. The successful candidate will help shape this transition by advancing engineering solutions that promote sustainability, resilience, and regional economic growth.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in Agricultural, Biological, Chemical, or Environmental Engineering, or closely related field
- Research experience in circular bioeconomy areas such as bioprocessing, waste-to-resource conversion, supply chain modeling or analysis, or sustainable manufacturing
- Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals
- Demonstrated ability and interest to conduct interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or convergent research
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
Nice To Haves
- Systems engineering experience with research spanning multiple domains within circular bioeconomy systems
- Postdoctoral research experience
- Experience with pilot-scale or demonstration-scale bio-chemo-processing systems
- Track record of external funding success
- Industry collaboration and technology transfer experience
Responsibilities
- Conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research in circular bioeconomy with emphasis on engineering solutions.
- Converting organic wastes sourced from food, agriculture, and other sectors into valuable products including biofuels, biochemicals, and biomaterials
- Developing bioprocessing technologies for plant-based proteins, biobased chemicals, and sustainable fuel production
- Advancing resource recovery technologies through innovative approaches
- Designing and optimizing sustainable supply chain networks and infrastructures supporting circularity
- Engineering production agriculture systems that minimize resource inputs and environmental impacts while integrating regenerated inputs from circular bioeconomy systems
- Applying digital agriculture, AI, and other data analytics to advance circular bioeconomy systems
- Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in areas related to sustainable engineering, circular bioeconomy, or related fields
- Develop new interdisciplinary courses addressing circular bioeconomy principles
- Mentor undergraduate researchers, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers
- Contribute to curricular development and program enhancement
Benefits
- The University of Illinois offers a very competitive benefits portfolio, depending on the position. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Industry
Educational Services
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
