Assistant Professor - Operations Research

About the role

Tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Operations Research, effective August 2027, at the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech (main campus in Blacksburg, VA). The department has 42 full-time faculty (34 tenured/tenure-track, six instructional), serves 660 undergraduate, 120 master’s, and 100 doctoral students, with undergraduate and graduate programs ranked 6th and 9th nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Faculty collaborate across many colleges and institutes, including the Institute for Advanced Computing, Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, National Security Institute, VT MADE, and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Responsibilities

• Develop and sustain an externally-funded research program in stochastic operations research, including applied probability, stochastic modeling and optimization, simulation, and related areas.
• Publish in leading IE/OR/OM/MS journals and aim for best‑paper recognition.
• Mentor research‑oriented graduate students.
• Teach effectively at both undergraduate and graduate levels, with courses in probability, probabilistic operations research, and potential contributions to simulation instruction.
• Serve the university and professional communities through shared governance and service activities.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering, operations research, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated potential to develop a sustainable externally‑funded research program.
• Ability to publish in top IE/OR/OM/MS journals and earn major best‑paper or publication awards.
• Ability to contribute to the department’s teaching mission at graduate and undergraduate levels, particularly in probability and probabilistic operations research.

Qualifications

• Strong methodological and theoretical skills in stochastic operations research (applied probability, stochastic modeling and optimization, simulation).
• Interest in applications such as AI‑enabled decision‑making in supply chains and healthcare, the interface between simulation and AI, and resilient or data‑driven systems.
• Experience or interest in collaborative research with faculty across disciplines to address complex technical and societal challenges.
• Recognition of research excellence via awards.
• Instructional experience in higher education.

Skills

• Stochastic operations research, applied probability, stochastic modeling and optimization, simulation.
• Ability to work interdisciplinarily and engage with partners in government, industry, and other institutes.
• Effective teaching and mentoring of graduate students.
• Grant writing and external funding acquisition.