Aerospace Engineering (UAS Autonomy and Geographical Information Systems), Assistant Professor

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, starting Fall 2027.

About the University

Cal Poly Pomona is one of three polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system and among 12 such institutions nationwide. Founded in 1938, the university emphasizes integrative experiential learning, inclusivity, and diverse perspectives. With a scenic 1,400-acre campus, Cal Poly Pomona serves nearly 30,000 students through 54 baccalaureate, 29 master’s degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in educational leadership. The university is recognized for its learn-by-doing approach and Teacher Scholar Model, ranking No. 2 among top public regional universities in the west by U.S. News & World Report and No. 28 best value college nationally by Money Magazine.

As a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, Cal Poly Pomona is a leader in social mobility, ranking among the top 25 institutions for awarding bachelor’s degrees to minoritized students. The campus launched the Black Thriving Initiative in 2022 to support its Black community. Located less than 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the university sits at the intersection of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, offering proximity to beaches, mountains, and deserts.

Student Population

Cal Poly Pomona is the nation’s top polytechnic university for student diversity and economic mobility. In Fall 2024, the university served over 25,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students, primarily California residents. Over half of the students are first-generation college students, 70% receive financial aid, and 42% are low-income. The student body is 57% historically underrepresented, with demographics including 54% Hispanic/Latinx, 21% Asian, 13% White, 4% two or more races, 3% unknown, 2% African American/Black, 2% International, and less than 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or Native American. Forty-five percent of students enroll in STEM majors, with top programs including mechanical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, psychology, and finance, real estate, and law.

College of Engineering

The College of Engineering’s mission is to prepare students for industry and advanced studies through an inclusive polytechnic philosophy centered on collaborative teamwork, innovation, entrepreneurship, and professional integrity. The College offers 12 ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees and 7 master’s degrees to over 6,300 students across seven departments: Aerospace Engineering, Chemical and Materials Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering Technology, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Ranked 5th among undergraduate engineering programs in non-doctorate-granting public institutions by U.S. News & World Report, the College supports over 40 student clubs that provide hands-on learning opportunities and have excelled in national competitions.

Department of Aerospace Engineering

The Aerospace Engineering Department serves over 750 undergraduate and graduate students, offering a comprehensive education rooted in Cal Poly Pomona’s polytechnic, learn-by-doing tradition. The department emphasizes hands-on teaching, student-centered mentoring, and applied scholarship in areas such as aerodynamics, aircraft and spacecraft structures, flight mechanics, orbital mechanics, propulsion, systems engineering, autonomous systems (including UAS and unmanned ground systems), aerospace vehicle design, UAS-based remote sensing for agricultural applications, and AI/ML-enabled aerial and ground robots for precision farming.

Students engage in open-ended design problems, laboratory work, computational analysis, senior projects, and national competitions. Faculty support student groups and project teams, including AIAA design teams, research groups, and multidisciplinary collaborations with departments such as Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Plant Science. The department provides access to well-equipped instructional and research laboratories, including subsonic and supersonic wind tunnels, a UAV laboratory, an aerospace structures laboratory, an astronautics laboratory, and the Liquid Rocket Lab.

The department is committed to fostering an inclusive academic environment where students from diverse backgrounds can succeed. This commitment is reflected in faculty mentoring, team-based design experiences, support for student organizations, undergraduate research, senior projects, and pathways to graduate study, industry, and public-sector aerospace careers.

About the Role

The Aerospace Engineering Department seeks candidates with expertise in Autonomous Geographical Information Systems, with a focus on autonomous unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and remote sensing. The successful candidate will teach lower-division, upper-division, and graduate courses in aerospace engineering, contributing to areas such as UAS autonomy, Aerospace Feedback Control, Aircraft Stability & Control, UAS Applications (including Remote Sensing for Agricultural Applications), Sensing and Data Acquisition, and other autonomy-, feedback control-, and sensing-oriented curriculum.

Responsibilities include supporting the department’s senior project sequence and other project-based learning activities, developing new curriculum in UAS autonomy, GIS, Artificial Intelligence and Geospatial Data Analysis, automated data acquisition and processing, Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), Photogrammetry and Mapping, and establishing an active scholarly program. The candidate will mentor undergraduate and graduate students, pursue external funding, participate in department, college, and university service, and collaborate with other colleges, including Science and Agriculture, to develop new courses, UAS and GIS minors, and an externally funded Program in Autonomous UAS Systems and Remote Sensing.

Responsibilities

• Teach lower-division, upper-division, and graduate courses in aerospace engineering, with a focus on UAS autonomy, Aerospace Feedback Control, Aircraft Stability & Control, UAS Applications (including Remote Sensing for Agricultural Applications), Sensing and Data Acquisition, and related areas.
• Support the department’s senior project sequence and other project-based learning activities.
• Develop new curriculum and learning experiences in UAS autonomy, GIS, Artificial Intelligence and Geospatial Data Analysis, automated data acquisition and processing, Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), Photogrammetry and Mapping, and related fields.
• Establish and maintain an active scholarly program in your area of expertise.
• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students in research and academic pursuits.
• Pursue external funding to support research and program development.
• Participate in department, college, and university service.
• Collaborate with other colleges, including the Colleges of Science and Agriculture, to develop new courses, UAS and GIS minors, and an externally funded Program in Autonomous UAS Systems and Remote Sensing.

Requirements

• A Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Remote Sensing, Geospatial Analysis, or a closely aligned field from an accredited university, conferred by the start date of the position.

Qualifications

• Academic experience or strength in UAS Autonomy, Aircraft Stability and Control, Avionics Systems, Mission Planning, and Sensing and Data Acquisition.
• Demonstrated ability or potential for teaching undergraduate and graduate aerospace engineering courses and developing autonomy-, control-, and sensing-oriented curriculum.
• Demonstrated ability or potential for authoring peer-reviewed publications, securing external funding, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate student research.
• Industrial, government, or professional experience in aerospace engineering, aircraft design, systems engineering, or related areas.
• A bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related field from an ABET-accredited program.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.

Pay

Salary range: $107,312 - $111,312.