Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering - Wildfire Science and Engineering

CSU Careers • San José, CA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Mechanical Engineering Department at San José State University is seeking an assistant professor (tenure-track) with expertise in wildfire science research and teaching potential in thermo-fluids, beginning August 2027. The ideal candidate will have a strong engineering, computational, or physical-science background and conduct research directly addressing problems in wildfire or fire science and engineering. A key aspect of this position involves active collaboration with the SJSU Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), an NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center, to secure funding and conduct research related to wildfire science and management. WIRC is dedicated to developing strategies, technologies, and science-based approaches to enhance wildfire science and management. Specific research interests include fire and fluid dynamics, coupled fire-atmosphere modeling, wildfire behavior and spread, wildland-urban interface fire, combustion and heat transfer in wildland and urban fuels, computational fluid dynamics and multiphysics modeling, high-performance scientific computing, data assimilation, scientific machine learning and AI for wildfire prediction, smoke and fire-atmosphere interactions, and experimental or observational approaches for wildfire model development and validation. The successful candidate will establish an independent research program that complements and expands WIRC's capabilities, leveraging its interdisciplinary expertise, infrastructure, and external partnerships. Located in Silicon Valley, SJSU Mechanical Engineering offers an excellent environment for teaching, research, and collaboration, with strong programs in various engineering fields and connections to local industries. The department and university are committed to advancing equity and value institutional excellence, serving a diverse student population including many historically underserved students. SJSU aspires to create inclusive learning environments and seeks teacher-scholars who foster mutual learning and knowledge exchange.

Requirements

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering or closely related engineering, computational, or physical-science discipline by the time of appointment.
• Ability to teach & develop courses in the thermo-fluids area for Mechanical Engineering students at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Demonstrated research experience directly relevant to wildfire or fire science and engineering.
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.

Nice To Haves

• Strong track record of publication.
• Experience and/or demonstrated interest in teaching and pedagogical methods.
• Experience/exposure to the funding acquisition process.
• Demonstrated interest in establishing industrial partnership in the Silicon Valley area.
• Project supervision experience with undergraduate or masters level students.
• Interdisciplinary project experience in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Teach graduate and undergraduate courses in mechanical engineering and other areas consistent with their professional interests.
• Prepare classes, assess course learning outcomes, and develop pedagogical improvements.
• Conduct research in their area of expertise, publish results in reputable peer-reviewed journals, generate grants, and supervise student research.
• Actively work with other faculty at SJSU Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center to seek funding and conduct research related to wildfire science and management.
• Participate in shared governance, including department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Organize all classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• Demonstrate awareness and experience in understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.
• Comply with requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a mandated reporter.
• Complete Clery Act training and report Clery incidents if designated as a Campus Security Authority (CSA).
• Complete assigned and required CSU employee training (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety).
• Comply with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness as assigned or required by the President.

Benefits

• Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.
• See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree