Unleash Your Potential with Us

As a next-generation public research institution, we are an inclusive community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to shape the future and solve the world’s most challenging problems. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you become an integral part of our mission to become a university for the future. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with uniquely talented faculty, staff, and students across 13 colleges and multiple campuses and regional locations. That means greater challenges to tackle, more meaningful opportunities to grow, and rewarding experiences that go beyond a paycheck.

The Opportunity

Help Us Shape the Future of the Brave New Digital Worlds

The University of Central Florida (UCF) has committed to the challenge of shaping the emerging digital worlds through the Knights Digital Twin Strategic Initiative (KDT). The KDT initiative capitalizes on UCF’s modeling and simulation foundations and strengths to develop new collaboration and partnership paradigms to launch and scale research and business ventures that will enable us to address the new challenges of rapid and disruptive innovation. The initiative will build a campus-wide innovative, integrative, inclusive, and inspiring Digital Twin research and academic framework that will enable us to intersect research and academics with industry and government partnerships to create transformative ventures with real-world impact.

We are making a call to forward-thinking, innovative, and creative faculty candidates interested in joining us in this exciting initiative and be part of a talented and diverse team of faculty, research scientists, and students across all colleges on campus collaborating across academia, industry, military, K-12, and government towards the development of an integrated ecosystem of digital/physical twins, data, models, simulation, and analysis of systems’ life cycle and human performance in a multi-domain environment.

The UCF KDT Initiative is inviting applications for multiple 9-month, full-time faculty positions at the rank of assistant professor (tenure-earning) and associate professor or professor (tenured) in areas related to Digital Twins. We will consider candidates with expertise in areas relevant to KDT’s vision. Candidates who can support our strategic focus on understanding and addressing the challenges of systems of systems integration as well as applied multidisciplinary research interests are especially encouraged to apply. We invite applications from candidates with strong background in the following areas:

• Modeling and Simulation

• Systems of systems

• High Performance Computing

• Human Digital Twin (AI/ML applications)

• Software/hardware system integration/system design, including immersive display and interaction systems

• IOT/sensors/communications and controls -- emerging new control applications based on the advances of ubiquitous sensing, computation, and communication systems

• Data structures, standards, network management

• Health, human performance, and kinesiology

• Digital Twin applications in Smart Cities including civil engineering infrastructure and transportation system, energy, environment, etc.

• DT and education

• DT applications of all areas in Engineering, humanities, medicine, STEM, and others

Faculty hired under the KDT initiative are expected to develop strong research activities aligned with the overarching vision of the initiative, develop new and participate in existing multidisciplinary activities and projects, train postdoctoral scholars, serve as primary advisor for graduate students, and will be encouraged to also mentor and interact with undergraduate students. The tenure home of the candidate will be assigned according to the main area of expertise in the School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training (SMST) or any of the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) departments, with the possibility of joint appointments with other colleges. Salary and start-up package will be commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications.

UCF is one of the nation’s largest universities with a diverse student body of more than 70,000 students, 230 degree programs, and more than 12,000 faculty and staff members. UCF is an economic engine, attracting and supporting industries vital to the region’s future while providing students with real-world experiences that help them succeed after graduation. We encourage you to learn more about UCF at http://www.ucf.edu , SMST at https://www.ist.ucf.edu , and the CECS at http://www.cecs.ucf.edu .

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. from an accredited institution in an area appropriate to this position at the time of the appointment. This includes but is not limited to candidates with degrees in Modeling and Simulation, Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Informatics, Cognitive Science, Education or Learning Sciences, Medicine, Psychology, or other degrees relevant to the KDT initiative.

• The selected candidates must demonstrate a record of teaching, research, and service commensurate with their rank.

• To be eligible for an appointment as a tenured associate professor or professor upon hire, the selected candidate must have a demonstrated record of teaching, research, and service commensurate with a tenured faculty appointment at the rank of associate professor or professor, in applicable tenure home.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Candidates with an exceptional record of scholarly research and highly recognized for their technical contributions and leadership in their areas of expertise.

• Academic experience in Digital Twin development for technical, operational, and human systems in various areas including but not limited to defense, commercial, and societal applications.

• Demonstrated teaching skills, and ability to effectively communicate with and mentor students and post-doctoral scholars.

• Demonstrated effective communication and collaboration skills across disciplines and establish research local, national, and/or international network.

• Potential to initiate and obtain funding for multi-disciplinary research activities.

Additional Application Materials Required:

UCF requires all applications and supporting documents be submitted electronically through the Human Resources employment opportunities website, https://www.ucf.edu/jobs/ .  In addition to the online application, interested candidates should upload a cover letter including a research statement on your vision and impact of your area into the larger digital twin environment, teaching statement, diversity statement, current curriculum vitae, and a list with contact information for three (3) professional references.

NOTE: Please have all documents ready when applying so they can be attached at that time. Once the online submission process is finalized, the system does not allow applicants to submit additional documents later.

Questions regarding this search may be directed to Ghaith Rabadi (Ghaith.Rabadi@ucf.edu).

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

Review of applications will start on January 15, but applications will be considered on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

Job Close Date:

Open until filled.

Note to applicants: Please keep in mind that a job posted as ‘Open until filled ’ may close at any time without notice. As such, we encourage you to submit your application and all required documentation as quickly as possible to ensure consideration for the posted position.

Are Benefits Important to You?

Working at UCF has its perks!  In addition to helping drive change and having a positive impact by supporting our students, staff, and faculty, UCF offers:

• Benefit packages including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, healthcare flexible spending accounts, and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Paid time off, including annual and sick leave and paid holidays.
• Retirement savings options.
• Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando area attractions.
• Education assistance.
• Flexible work environment.

And more…For more benefits information, go to ‘Prospective Employees’ on the UCF Human Resources website (https://hr.ucf.edu/ )

Who Are We?

Founded in 1963 to fuel the region’s talent pipeline and support the growing U.S. space program, UCF is built to make a better future for our students and society. It’s one of the reasons U.S. News & World Report ranks UCF among the nation’s top 20 most innovative colleges, while Forbes, Kiplinger , and The Princeton Review rank us a best-value university. UCF is one of 14 universities nationwide designated as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and a Research 1 university. With 13 colleges, including a fully accredited College of Medicine, UCF offers more than 220-degree programs between its main campus, downtown campus, hospitality campus, academic health sciences campus, and 11 UCF Connect centers located throughout the region. In addition, UCF extends its reach to communities in and beyond Central Florida by offering complete, online programs leading to bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, Ph.D.'s., certificates, and more.

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer. Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins.

Additional Requirements related to Research Positions

Pursuant to Florida State Statute 1010.35, prior to offering employment to certain individuals in research-related positions, UCF is required to conduct additional screening. Applicants subject to additional screening include any citizen of a foreign country who is not a permanent resident of the U.S., or who is a citizen or permanent resident but is affiliated with or has had at least 1 year of higher education, employment, or training in China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Syria, or Venezuela.

The additional screening requirements only apply to employment in research-related positions, including, but not limited to faculty positions (including employed visiting positions), graduate positions, individuals compensated by research grants or contract funds, postdoctoral scholar positions, and undergraduate positions.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

As an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, UCF encourages all qualified applicants to apply, including women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented populations. UCF's Equal Opportunity Statement can be viewed at  http://www.oie.ucf.edu/documents/PresidentsStatement.pdf.

As a Florida public university, UCF makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request.

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer.