Who is Saint Louis University? Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious Catholic universities. SLU, which also has a campus in Madrid, Spain, is recognized for world-class academics, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service.

Taylor Geospatial Institute Cluster Hiring Initiative

In April 2022, Saint Louis University (SLU) launched theTaylor Geospatial Institute (TGI)- the nation's leading geospatial research collaborative, comprising eight of the Midwest's outstanding research institutions. The TGI is led by Saint Louis University and includes the Danforth Plant Science Center, Harris-Stowe State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Washington University in St. Louis. TGI's vision is to be the nation's leader in geospatial science research and accelerate the St. Louis region's development as a global geospatial center of excellence. We are harnessing the power of partnership with industry, government agencies, and research entities to grow talent and develop core geospatial science and adjacent fields that enable positive impacts on some of the world's greatest challenges including food systems, geospatial health, and national security. With the goal of becoming a world-class leader and creating a lasting geospatial impact, SLU intends to hire strategically across the University in areas that directly intersect with the TGI. Enabled by the legacy gift supporting TGI, SLU has the opportunity to hire approximately 20 faculty across 3 years, marking our footprint as a world-class research University in geospatial science and adjacent fields while simultaneously multiplying our excellence in our teaching and our mission. This call for faculty positions is part of this exciting cluster hire initiative in geospatial science and adjacent fields.

About the Department/School

The Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering has thirteen full-time faculty and offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in both Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Research areas include: design, robotics, mechanics, materials, computational and experimental thermofluids, UAS and space systems. In addition to research and teaching partnerships with other faculty in the School, the Department benefits from adjunct faculty from local companies who bring industry relevance to the classroom and lab. The Department provides a collaborative, entrepreneurial environment for success and is experiencing growth in undergraduate and graduate enrollment and interdisciplinary collaborative research productivity. The Department is in a season of significant, targeted hiring growth and will increase its faculty count by 25% over the next two years.

The SLU School of Science and Engineering is interdisciplinary by design bringing together engineering (Aerospace and Mechanical, Biomedical, Civil, and Electrical and Computer Engineering) with Aviation, Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The School offers a wide range of graduate and undergraduate degrees across these departments. SSE intends to make seven new TGI cluster hires this year.

Job Description and Primary Responsibilities:

The Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering in the School of Science and Engineering (SSE) of Saint Louis University (SLU) seeks exceptional candidates who are working in the intersection between aerospace engineering and geospatial applications. This hire can be at any level, tenure-track (assistant professor) or tenured (associate professor, professor). With several open positions, the Department is establishing a new research and teaching cluster in autonomous aerospace vehicles as well as a broader research cluster in geospatial applications across the Department, School and University.

The Department, in collaboration with the Taylor Geospatial Institute, seeks candidates in the area of Autonomous Vehicle Operations. The Department seeks to build capabilities in the design and effective operation of highly-autonomous aerospace vehicles; candidates working in fields of autonomy, design and human-robot interaction are encouraged to apply.

• Generating sponsored research expectations include significant effort towards developing and maintaining a robust externally funded research program involving undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs and other research personnel. Startup packages are available for qualified candidates, as is mentoring for proposal and collaborator development. As part of the TGI cluster hire, this position is expected to contribute to the collaborative multidisciplinary work of the TGI.

• Teaching - all faculty in the Department are expected to teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels. They shall create inclusive, engaging teaching experiences to develop industry-ready, entrepreneurially minded, and socially conscious engineers. The teaching load will be scaled according to external research funding, with an emphasis on providing time for new faculty to develop their research portfolio. Assistance in developing coursework will be provided by the Department.

• Student mentoring - Saint Louis University strives to educate the whole person, and thus an important component of faculty responsibilities is active engagement in undergraduate and graduate student mentoring.

• Service while new faculty are expected to prioritize their teaching and research portfolios, some service to the Department, School and University is expected.

Minimum Qualifications:

• An earned Ph.D. in aerospace or mechanical engineering or a related field. Demonstrated excellence in research and scholarly activity, including peer reviewed journal and conference papers, grant writing, mentoring students, and developing an independent research agenda.

• Excellence in teaching as demonstrated through previous teaching and teaching preparation experiences.

• Desire to engage with SLU's mission-driven learning and outreach activities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Established record of interdisciplinary collaboration and impactful research work in the geospatial field.

• Research experiences including prior faculty appointments and post-doctoral fellowships.

• Demonstrated ability and vision to collaborate and build a multidisciplinary initiative in pursuit of enhancing undergraduate and graduate education.

• Relevant teaching experience that promotes hands-on, experiential learning.

Applications will be reviewed beginning on January 8, 2024, with a targeted start date of August 1, 2024. Applications must include: 1) a cover letter; 2) a resume/curriculum vitae, 3) research statement, 4) teaching statement, 5) diversity statement, and 6) contact information for three references. You can upload these items on the third page "My experience" of the application.

Questions about the position and application can be directed to the chair of the search committee, Dr. Michael Swartwout (michael.swartwout@slu.edu).

Function

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

Saint Louis University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for the position applied for without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, gender identity, or other non-merit factors. We welcome and encourage applications from minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities (including disabled veterans). If accommodations are needed for completing the application and/or with the interviewing process, please contact Human Resources at 314-977-5847.