Professor and Chair, The Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering

Buffkin / Baker•Lubbock, TX

17d•Onsite

About The Position

The Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering in the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering at Texas Tech University seeks a full-time, 12-month, tenured Professor to serve as Department Chair, beginning September 1, 2027, or sooner. The Chair will provide intellectual and strategic leadership for the department’s teaching, research, service, outreach, and engagement activities. The Chair will mentor faculty; strengthen the department’s academic reputation and research expenditures; coordinate academic programs with undergraduate and graduate advisors; develop alumni relationships and fundraising; represent the department to university constituencies and external partners, including industry; lead student recruitment; manage departmental staff and the budget; and promote the success of faculty, staff, and students. The Chair will also serve as a tenured faculty member, teaching petroleum engineering courses, mentoring PhD students, and maintaining an externally sponsored research program. Texas Tech University is a Carnegie R1, Hispanic-Serving, state-assisted institution in Lubbock, Texas. The university enrolls more than 40,000 students. The Whitacre College of Engineering serves approximately 5,900 undergraduate and more than 1,000 graduate students, with 230 faculty members and instructors and annual research expenditures of approximately $38 million. The Petroleum Engineering Department is located near the Permian Basin, has an 11:1 faculty-to-student ratio in upper-division study, and provides access to a campus drilling rig and the Oilfield Technology Center, a 10-acre teaching and research facility.

Requirements

PhD in Petroleum Engineering or a related field.
Full professor, or a research and academic record commensurate with appointment as a Full Professor at Texas Tech University.
Proven record of research scholarship demonstrated through journal publications and conference proceedings.

Nice To Haves

Industrial experience and familiarity with petroleum engineering practice.
Demonstrated leadership in an academic or industry setting, including effective management of people and resources, transparent communication, and constructive conflict resolution.
High visibility in petroleum engineering, reflected in professional reputation and association with professional societies.
Track record of teaching petroleum engineering courses.
Demonstrated commitment to institutional and/or professional service and engagement.

Responsibilities

Provide intellectual and strategic leadership for the department’s teaching, research, service, outreach, and engagement.
Mentor faculty.
Improve the department’s academic reputation and research expenditures.
Coordinate administration of academic programs with undergraduate and graduate advisors.
Strengthen alumni relationships and fundraising efforts.
Represent the department to internal university entities and external entities, including industry partners.
Lead student recruitment efforts.
Manage departmental staff.
Manage the department’s budget and sustain fiscal responsibility and health.
Promote the success of department faculty, staff, and students.
Teach courses in the petroleum engineering curriculum.
Mentor PhD students.
Maintain an externally sponsored research program.