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

Decarbonization is one of the most important topics for a sustainable future. The world continues to move towards a low-carbon economy, with more than 110 countries and 200 of the world’s largest companies pledging to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. One thing is clear: the energy transition must be clean, affordable, accessible, and reliable. A transition of this size requires collaboration across the government, public and private sectors, academia, NGOs, and communities around the world. As a leader in Decarbonized Energy , the University of Central Florida (UCF) has committed to the challenge of shaping this transition through the Zero Carbon Energy (ZCE) initiative. The ZCE initiative will further strengthen several ongoing research and education activities at UCF that are focused around zero carbon energy and decarbonization. 

As part of this broad, university-wide strategic initiative, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and the School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training (SMST) at UCF are seeking three (3) full-time, 9-month faculty positions at the rank of assistant professor (tenure earning) or associate professor (tenured), with a tenure home in either MAE or SMST, with core faculty status in the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER) and/or in the Institute of Simulation and Training (IST). The positions, the technical fields, and their tenure home departments are:

Rotordynamics and vibration (tenure home in MAE); Modeling and simulation of energy systems, subsystems, and infrastructure (including electrical, mechanical and chemical components), (tenure home in SMST); Thermo-mechanical energy storage (tenure home in MAE, with joint appointment with the Department of Physics).

These positions have an anticipated start date of August 8, 2023.

Each of these hires will be expected to strengthen MAE and SMST, the chosen tenure home department (or school) as noted above, and may include a combination of joint and secondary joint appointments. Both individual/interdisciplinary infrastructure and startup support will be provided with this new position. The position will carry a rank commensurate with the candidate’s prior experience and record.

The ideal candidates will work at the intersection of the relevant research areas associated with the aforementioned themes. They will have research impact, as reflected in high-quality publications and the ability to build a funded and sustainable research program, and strengthen development of new collaboration and partnership paradigms to launch and scale research and business ventures. Such ventures should enable UCF to address the new challenges of rapid and disruptive innovation towards zero-carbon energy. We are looking for a team player with a multi-disciplinary outlook who can help bring together current campus efforts in energy systems research. Prior experiences as a full-time researcher at a national lab or large interdisciplinary research center are preferred. 

UCF is one of the nation’s largest universities with a diverse student body of approximately 70,000 students and has grown substantially in size, quality, diversity, and reputation. Today, the university offers more than 230 degree programs. In 2019, UCF was officially recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by the U.S. Department of Education and a "Green College" by the Princeton Review for our efforts in sustainability and environmental responsibility. UCF's students represent all 50 states and over 120 countries. UCF is in a centralized location that is 30 minutes to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando and 60 minutes to the beach. UCF has 16 sports teams, including football, soccer, tennis, volleyball, and 600+ cultural, academic, and social student clubs and organizations all led by faculty mentors. In addition, UCF has several associations for faculty and staff, among them the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA), the Latino Faculty and Staff Association (LaFaSA), and the PRIDE Faculty and Staff Association. UCF received the 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine which recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. The Carnegie Foundation has classified UCF as a R1 Doctoral University for its high research activity and community engagement. This past fiscal year, UCF brought in nearly $205M. For the fifth consecutive year, UCF has been recognized among the nation’s most innovative universities according to U.S. News & World Report, while Kiplinger’s and The Princeton Review have ranked UCF as one of the nation’s best values for a college education. We encourage you to learn more about UCF at http://www.ucf.edu/faculty .

UCF houses four distinct energy-related research centers or clusters: Resilient, Intelligent and Sustainable Energy Systems (RISES) center, Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) cluster, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), and CATER (Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research).

Central Florida has been also home to several global energy companies. With NASA Kennedy Space Center less than an hour away from Orlando, many well-known companies such as Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi Power, and Lockheed Martin have their major headquarters in Orlando. Others such as Pratt & Whitney (Raytheon) and Northrop Grumman have their headquarters within easy drivable distances. All these companies share the same talent pools available in this region. In response to this unique locational opportunity, the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER) was founded to focus on student training and research on turbo-machineries and associated energy systems for application in power generation, aviation, and space propulsion. CATER currently has 10 core faculty members from MAE, with a staff of 12 postdoctoral researchers and 75 doctoral students who brought in $7.9M of external funding and graduated 16 doctoral students in AY2021-2022. CATER has identified seven thematic areas to expand and invest in, and several of those areas are aligned with the focus of this search.

UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) within the School of Modeling, Simulation and Training is one of the nation’s leading research centers for simulation, training, modeling, mixed reality, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital engineering research for both defense and commercial applications. With focus in a dynamic, growing field, supported by government and industry sponsors, and charged with identifying new directions for this technology, IST is helping to define the future of simulation and training. Orlando, Florida is the U.S. center for Department of Defense (DoD) modeling and simulation, with Team Orlando cross-service military, industry, academia alliance, and the DoD’s modeling, simulation, and training research labs and acquisition agencies. UCF has technology transfer capabilities, a network of business and research incubators, secure clean room production and design facilities, and a workforce capable of holding the highest-level security clearance. The core of the Central Florida Modeling, Simulation, and Training (CFMS&T) Cluster is based in the multi-service modeling, simulation, and training center of excellence in the research park directly adjacent to UCF. Known as the world’s largest assemblage of high technology modeling and simulation entities, this core has its origins in the DoD’s longest joint service agreement between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. In addition to the military presence, the CFMS&T Cluster includes the industrial base of well over 200 companies collaborating through the National Center for Simulation (NCS) and a myriad of highly capable academic institutions represented primarily by UCF.

It is anticipated that these positions will strengthen the efforts of CATER and SMST and collaborate with the other energy centers and clusters in the university.

Minimum Qualifications:

An earned Ph.D. from an accredited institution in an area appropriate to Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering or the School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training at the time of appointment. The selected candidate must also have a record of high impact research related to energy systems, demonstrated by a strong scholarly and/or funding record.

To be eligible for appointment as a tenured associate 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, in applicable tenure home.

Preferred Qualifications:

Past work experiences in national lab and/or industry are desired. A history of working with teams, especially teams that span multiple disciplines, is a strongly preferred qualification. Prior work experience with energy systems is highly preferred.

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/ . No paper or emailed applications or materials will be considered.

UCF has a diverse student body and community, and we are committed to meeting the needs of this community. Please tell us about your approach and experience, in the context of a faculty-student setting and as a colleague, meeting the needs of a diverse community.

In addition to the online application, interested candidates must attach the following materials to their application:

The above-mentioned diversity statement, A cover letter: In the cover letter, candidates must specify the position they are applying to, and address their background and experience as relevant to the position and identify any joint or secondary joint appointment(s) they would desire. A curriculum vitae, A teaching statement, A research statement, A list with contact information for three (3) professional references, including email addresses.

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.

These positions have an anticipated start date of August 8, 2023. Review of applications will begin January 17th, 2023 and continue until the positions are filled.

Questions regarding this search can be directed to Dr. Jay Kapat (Jayanta.kapat@ucf.edu ) or Dr. Subith Vasu (subith@ucf.edu ).

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

N/A

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.