Senior Scientist or Principal Scientist in the Center of Applied Biomechanics

The Center for Applied Biomechanics is seeking applicants for a Senior Scientist or Principal Scientist for experimental and computational injury biomechanics research.

Candidates will be responsible for developing new research funding through application to competitive opportunities, manage the execution of projects including leading a team of students and engineers focused on research involved with vehicle structural modeling and crash simulation, and to assist in the development of research proposals, supervising graduate students and other personnel, and prepare reports, publications, and presentations of research findings for dissemination to research sponsors and the scientific community.

Senior Scientist Duties:

• Secure external research funding to maintain their salary (and supporting costs)
• Act as principal investigator or co-principal investigator overseeing one or more projects
• Supervise graduate students and staff in the execution of research
• Disseminate research through external publication and presentation

Principal Scientist Duties:

• Secure external research funding to sustain a multi-person research group (and supporting costs)
• Act as principal investigator overseeing multiple simultaneous projects
• Supervise graduate students and staff in the execution of research
• Disseminate research through external publication and presentation

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Candidates must have a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering (or related field) with a research focus on injury prevention in dynamic impact events.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS:

Candidates must have a proven track record of securing research funding from federal and non-federal sources. Candidates must have at least two years experience in a management role, supervising a team of personnel to execute research projects. Candidates must have at least five years of experience with crash simulation and injury prevention research using LS-Dyna, including vehicle structure modeling and execution of automotive impact simulations. Candidates must also have a proven record of scientific publication and presentation, and collaboration across institutions.

Senior Scientist

• Must have secured at least five past externally-funded projects as either principal investigator or co-principal investigator, with total funding as principal investigator of at least $500,000.
• Record of having supervised one or more students or research staff
• Record of authoring or co-authoring at least 15 papers published in refereed scientific journals or conferences

Principal Scientist

• Record of having secured at least five past externally funded projects as principal investigator, totaling at least $2 million in funding
• Record of having supervised multiple students or research staff
• Record of authoring or co-authoring at least 25 papers published in referred scientific journals or conferences

Preferred applicants will also have demonstrable past experience in ground-up development and validation of detailed FE models of complex structures and mechanisms (including automobiles), and will have experience in human body model simulation for injury prediction in dynamic impact scenarios.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Apply online at https://jobs.virginia.edu and attach a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the contact information for three individuals who can provide professional reference letters. Please note that multiple documents can be uploaded in the box labeled CV .

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Review of applications will begin on November 27, 2025, but the position will remain open until filled. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

This is a one-year appointment; however, the appointment may be renewed for an additional two, one-year increments, contingent upon available funding and satisfactory performance.

For questions regarding this position, contact Jason Forman, Associate Professor, at jlf3m@virginia.edu .

For questions regarding the application process, contact Rich Haverstrom, Faculty Search Advisor, at rkh6j@virginia.edu.

A competitive salary and benefits package is offered at University of Virginia. For more information on the benefits available at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits .

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Click here to read more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.