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Combustion in Urban and Wildland Fires Assistant Professor

Position overview

Salary range: “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience. A reasonable estimated salary range for this position is $121,600- $131,300, inclusive of the salary scale and off-scale salary components.

Application Window

Open date: August 27, 2023

Next review date: Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering seeks candidates for a tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty position with expertise in research related to Combustion in Urban and Wildland Fires, e.g., fire prevention, fire extinguishment, material flammability, fire propagation, pollutant formation and transport, and modeling of phenomena such as fire whirls and effects of turbulence on fires. This search is a part of UC Davis’ commitment to hiring leading research faculty with a strong commitment to teaching, research, and service that addresses the needs of our increasingly diverse state, industry, faculty, and student populations.

The Department already has strong faculty members in combustion who have made contributions in several areas including turbulent combustion, low gravity combustion, low gravity fire safety, liquid fuel combustion, fuel synthesis, and combustion synthesis. There is also significant expertise outside the Department related to fires, e.g., wildfire mitigation for built environment and infrastructure. Due to the increasing incidence and scale of fire in urban and wildland settings, the College of Engineering has developed one position at the Assistant Professor level. The existing cohort of faculty within the Department, and also in other departments on campus, will provide opportunities for the successful candidate to collaborate and build synergies to shape the future of addressing the challenges of urban and wildland fires in California and beyond.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent, or have advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree or equivalent, in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field. Applications are encouraged from candidates with a strong background in any current or emerging area that is relevant to combustion in urban and wildland fires. We are particularly interested in candidates who use their creativity, engineering skills, and leadership to collaboratively discover solutions to difficult challenges in combustion in urban and wildland fires and who can foster innovation in this field.

The current teaching expectation in the Department is three courses per academic year. These courses will include material in the successful candidate’s area of expertise for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as core and elective undergraduate and graduate courses, and the development of new courses, as necessary. The new Diane Bryant Engineering Student Design Center offers outstanding opportunities for fabrication of specialized research apparatus. In addition, the successful candidate will be expected to promote the professional development of graduate students in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs through high-quality mentoring that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the barriers preventing full participation of members from historically underrepresented and marginalized student communities in higher education. Applicant’s record of engagement and activities related to diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion as well as their plans for future engagement will be part of the overall evaluation of the candidate’s qualifications for a faculty appointment.

UC Davis is a tier-one research university and has a strong history of engaging in teaching, research, and service for the greater public good as a land grant institution. The College of Engineering has an exciting Next Level Strategic Research Vision with major pillars for research, education, and community. Our vision can be found here [https://engineering.ucdavis.edu/about/next-level-strategic-vision].

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment, UC Davis conducts a reference check on all first-choice candidates for Academic Senate Assistant Professor, Steps 4, 5, or 6 through Professor, Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6 through Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment, and Acting Professor of Law through Professor of Law positions. The reference check involves contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search for these faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists considered for these faculty positions will be subject to reference checks.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• PhD or equivalent degree, or advanced to candidacy, in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related fields is required and must be conferred prior to the earliest date of hire (July 1, 2024).

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

Applicant must have earned a PhD or equivalent in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field by date of hire.

Preferred qualifications (other preferred, but not required, qualifications for the position)

• Evidence of excellence or strong potential for excellence in research that complements or extends existing research strengths in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the potential to attract extramural funding.
• A record of technical excellence in one or more sub-topics of Combustion in Urban and Wildland Fires, as evidenced by published research, teaching experience, and participation in funded collaboration with the U.S. or international industry and/or government agencies.
• Commitment to excellence in teaching. The candidate must demonstrate evidence of ability or potential to perform well at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and to develop and teach new undergraduate and graduate courses or seminars.
• Evidence of commitment to or strong potential for commitment to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion for historically underrepresented and marginalized student communities.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
Reference requirements
  • 3 required (contact information only)
Apply link: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF05899

Help contact: mae-search-combustion-2023@ucdavis.edu

Campus Information

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals’ with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its community by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment demonstrated through a variety of resources and programs available to academics, staff, and students. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values of UC Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can best be fully realized by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values, which are included in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision, our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement. UC Davis is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a plethora of resources on their website, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) has outlined similar goals in their Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan.” There are a plethora of links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our Administration, Diversity and Inclusion, Rankings, Locations, Native American Land Acknowledgement, Sustainability, Visiting UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and Campus Safety.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

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Job location

Davis, CA