Assistant/Associate Professor

The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) of Virginia Tech seeks applications for a tenured/tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in Power Systems at the Blacksburg campus starting in fall 2025. Appointment at the Associate Professor level is preferred. The successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain a nationally recognized funded research program, teach undergraduate and graduate courses, and participate in department, college, and university service and outreach activities.

There is specific interest in technical challenges related to sustainable power and energy systems. Examples include planning, operation, control, and optimization for power grids with high penetration of renewable and distributed energy sources; resilience and protection of sustainable power grids; decentralized optimization and intelligence for sustainable power grids; microgrids and networked microgrids; security of the complex cyber-power systems; and other related topics.

The successful candidate is expected to be a significant contributor to the ongoing growth of the Power and Energy Center (PEC) and is encouraged to develop ties with other centers and research groups. PEC a research and education powerhouse in the United States and has a long tradition of global leadership in cutting-edge research and education. In recent decades, PEC researchers made a great impact on power engineering worldwide through the development of phasor measurement units (PMU) and computer relaying.

The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers B.S., M.Eng., M.S., and Ph.D. degree programs in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering with a current enrollment of approximately 1,100 undergraduate and 650 graduate students. The department has 76 full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members and 20 non-tenure-track faculty located in two primary locations, which are the Blacksburg Campus and the Greater Washington, DC area including the new VT Innovation Campus in Alexandria, Virginia. Annual research expenditures exceed $56M. Recognition of faculty accomplishments includes 4 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 30 Fellows of the IEEE, and various fellows of other professional societies, 27 current and prior NSF CAREER awardees, and 4 DoD Young Investigators. The latest Global Universities ranking by U.S. News & World Report (USN&WR) places our department at #2 nationally in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering category. The department has some of the nation’s best programs in the areas of fiber optics and photonics, space science and remote sensing, wireless communications and networking, power electronics, power systems, autonomous systems, embedded systems, and computational biology. The Department is the beneficiary of the Bradley Endowment valued in excess of $20 million. For additional information about the department and the College of Engineering, please visit www.ece.vt.edu and www.eng.vt.edu.

Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT—serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our community in preparing leaders for the world. The College of Engineering undergraduate program ranks 13th and graduate program ranks 30th among all U.S. engineering schools (USN&WR). The Mission of the College of Engineering is to educate and inspire our students to be critical thinkers, innovators and leaders. Our core values are inclusiveness, excellence, integrity, perseverance and stewardship.

Virginia Tech's main campus is located in Blacksburg, VA, in an area consistently ranked among the country's best places to live. In addition, our program in the Washington, D.C., area offers unique proximity to government and industry partners and is also expanding rapidly, with Virginia Tech's exciting Innovation Campus in Alexandria, VA, slated to open in early 2025.

The department fully embraces Virginia Tech’s Commitment to increase faculty, staff and student diversity; to ensure a welcoming, affirming, safe and accessible campus climate; to advance our research, teaching, and service mission through inclusive excellence; and to promote sustainable transformation through institutionalized structures. Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation, please contact the Human Resources Services Center at hrservicecenter@vt.edu or at (540) 231-9331.

● An earned Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, completed prior to employment
● Demonstrated excellence, or evidence of high potential for such excellence, in research, scholarship, and teaching in electrical/computer engineering
● Ability to articulate a coherent agenda of research and scholarship and to identify potential funding sources to support such research
● Effective communication skills
● Willingness and ability to work in a technology-based research and education environment, characterized by use of learning technologies, distance learning, online courses, videoconferencing, and network-based collaborative research

● Prior experience in the role of PI or Co-PI on funded research projects
● Ability and willingness to work collaboratively with faculty from a variety of disciplines within and outside Virginia Tech
● Experience in working with students as an academic or career advisor, overseeing student internships or service-learning activities
● Interest or experience in mentoring students, both undergraduate and graduate, in research
● Interest or experience working effectively with a diverse student population

Regular

Commensurate with Experience

01/01/2025

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance.  These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.