Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor of Practice

About the role

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at Utah State University invites applications for three Professor of Practice positions to lead the development and delivery of an innovative, multi-course CORE Design and Problem Solving Experience within the undergraduate Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering curricula. At least one position will be filled by a candidate with a systems engineering background and will contribute to teaching coursework in support of a professional master’s degree in systems engineering. These positions offer a unique opportunity to help create a transformative educational experience that bridges classroom learning and professional engineering practice.

The successful candidates will collaborate with faculty, industry partners, and students to develop a hands-on, experiential learning sequence that immerses students in authentic engineering challenges during their second and third years of study. The CORE Design and Problem Solving Experience is intended to cultivate engineers who can confidently tackle ambiguous, open-ended problems by integrating independently acquired knowledge, sound engineering judgment, technical communication, and iterative design processes. Students will learn through doing, testing, failing, refining, and ultimately succeeding in environments that mirror real-world engineering practice.

The CORE Design and Problem Solving Experience will serve as the centerpiece of the undergraduate experience in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Through a sequence of integrated courses and projects, students will develop competencies in:

• Engineering design and systems thinking
• Structured problem solving
• Requirements development and management
• Research and development processes
• Risk assessment and decision making
• Identifying and applying appropriate engineering analysis
• Design for manufacturability, reliability, sustainability, cost, safety, and other Design-for-X principles
• Prototyping, testing, validation, and verification
• Documentation and technical reporting
• Communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Teamwork and project execution
• Learning independently and applying newly acquired knowledge
• Iterative design, resilience, and learning from failure

These are expected to be full-time, non-tenure-track Professor of Practice appointments. Rank and appointment details will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Responsibilities

Curriculum Development and Leadership

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the CORE Design and Problem Solving Experience.
• Develop project-based and experiential learning activities that integrate engineering science with professional engineering practice.
• Establish learning outcomes, assessment strategies, and course materials for a multi-course sequence.
• Collaborate with department faculty to ensure alignment with program objectives and accreditation requirements.
• Coordinate annual review and revision processes to keep the curriculum relevant to evolving industry needs.

Teaching and Mentorship

• Teach courses within the CORE Design and Problem Solving Experience and other courses as assigned by the department head.
• Mentor students through complex, open-ended engineering projects.
• Foster a learning environment where experimentation, iteration, and productive failure are valued as essential elements of engineering practice.
• Guide students in professional skills development, including communication, teamwork, leadership, and project management.

Assessment and Continuous Improvement

• Lead assessment efforts related to student learning and program effectiveness.
• Collect and analyze evidence of student achievement and skill development.
• Support departmental accreditation and continuous improvement activities.
• Develop metrics and assessment frameworks that measure growth in engineering judgment, design capability, and problem-solving proficiency.

Student Engagement and Co-Curricular Activities

• Serve as faculty advisor or co-advisor for engineering student organizations and competition teams.
• Support student participation in regional, national, and international engineering competitions.
• Help build a culture of hands-on learning, innovation, and professional engagement throughout the department.

Industry and External Engagement

• Develop and maintain relationships with industry partners to ensure program relevance.
• Seek opportunities for industry-sponsored projects, mentorship, and experiential learning activities.
• Facilitate interactions between students and practicing engineers.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Significant professional experience in engineering practice, product development, systems engineering, research and development, manufacturing, aerospace, or a related technical field.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex engineering problems and lead technical projects.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to student-centered learning and experiential education.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience teaching engineering courses at the university level.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with systems engineering.
• Experience with engineering design processes across the full product lifecycle.
• Familiarity with outcomes-based assessment and continuous improvement practices.
• Experience advising student organizations, project teams, or engineering competitions.
• Established connections with industry, government laboratories, or research organizations.
• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Engineering Education, or a related discipline.

Required Documents

• Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”
• Cover Letter describing your qualifications for the position and our vision of the role to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
• Statement of teaching philosophy emphasizing experiential and project-based learning to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
• Description of relevant engineering practice and leadership experience to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
• Contact information for 3 professional references to be typed at the beginning of the application

Document size may not exceed 10 MB.

Pay

Commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefits.

Work Environment

Employees typically work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not necessarily occasional temperature changes.

Department & University Context

The MAE department has experienced significant growth over the past decade, with enrollments of approximately 800 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, and is the largest department in the College of Engineering. The department offers a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering; MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Composite Materials & Structures, and Space Systems Engineering; and PhD degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. The department currently has 17 tenured/tenure-track faculty members and 4 professors of practice, with additional part-time instructors from local industry and research institutions. Annual department research expenditures are approximately $3M.

Successful applicants may have opportunities to work closely with scientists and engineers from the USU Research Foundation Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), one of 14 Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC). Further, USU faculty also have access to the University of Utah Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) facilities and the Utah Water Research Laboratory. USU is the nearest PhD-granting institution in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering to the Idaho National Laboratory, and is also in close proximity to Hill Air Force Base and other defense-related organizations.

The College of Engineering at Utah State University is a regional leader in teaching and research. The college currently has 95 tenured/tenure-track faculty members, with additional professors of practice and part-time instructors from local industry and research institutions. The college is home to the world-famous Utah Water Research Laboratory and the National Science Foundation-funded ASPIRE Engineering Research Center for sustainable electrified transportation. Each year, the college welcomes an average of 2,000 undergraduate and 300 graduate students from around the globe. The college offers five ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees and 15 graduate degree programs. In 2023-24, the college generated $40 million in research expenditures.

As Utah’s student-centered, land-grant research university, Utah State University expands opportunity and strengthens communities across the state through learning,