Research Assistant Professor - Electrical and Computer Engineering

Position Title

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ece.iastate.edu), in the College of Engineering at Iowa State University, invites applications for the position of Research Assistant Professor. This is a 3-year term research faculty position that holds responsibilities primarily contributing to the research mission of the department through scholarly impact and an externally funded research program in the areas of wireless and network systems. Specifically, besides contributing to the research, education, and innovation projects led by the Center for Wireless, Communities and Innovation (wici.iastate.edu), the responsibilities include mentoring graduate and undergraduate students working on research and design projects.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Ph. D. in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience and quality publications in advanced wireless and network systems (e.g., safety-critical wireless, URLLC, Open RAN, 6G/NextG).
• Hands-on experience with cellular network platforms (e.g., O-RAN, srsRAN, OpenAirInterface, Aether/SD-RAN), edge/cloud computing platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, OpenStack), SDN, and/or VNF.
• Hands-on experience in designing, developing, deploying, and/or operating field-deployed wireless, network, and/or distributed systems.
• Hands-on experiences in edge/cloud systems management, virtual machines/containers, Linux systems administration, shell scripting, etc.
• Capability of building systems prototypes based on reference publications and/or open-source software.
• Knowledge of wireless systems, networked/distributed systems, operating systems, virtualization, systems and network security.
• Programming skills: Python, C, C++, Java, Web etc.

Department/Program & College Description

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University is home to 60 faculty and is associated with 11 research centers and institutes, for instance, the Center for Wireless, Community and Innovation (WiCI). The department boasts 20 IEEE Fellows, over $15.4M in research expenditures (FY20), and one of the largest ECpE enrollments in the nation.

About Iowa State University And The Ames Community

Iowa State University is classified as a Carnegie Foundation Doctoral/Research University-Extensive. More than 30,000 students are enrolled and are served by over 6,200 faculty and staff. The College of Engineering consists of eight departments with annual research expenditures exceeding $105 million. Iowa State University is located in Ames, IA, a progressive community of 66,000, located approximately 30 minutes north of Des Moines, one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the Midwest, and is beaming with community pride and accolades.

Department Unit/Website

For more information about our department’s engineering programs, go to www.ece.iastate.edu.

Application Instructions

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. However, to receive full consideration, applications should be received by May 31st, 2026. All interested, qualified persons must apply for this position online at jobs.iastate.edu. The following documents are required to be submitted in PDF format: Resume/Curriculum Vitae, Letter of Application/Cover Letter that briefly discusses how the candidate meets each of the preferred qualifications, Contact information for at least three references, including name, mailing address, email address, phone number, and other pertinent information, Research statement. Inquiries regarding this position may be directed to Hongwei Zhang (hongwei@iastate.edu) or Sara K. Harris (skharris@iastate.edu).