Tenure-Track Faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering

About the role

The Department of Biomedical Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA, invites applications for a tenure-line position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in the area of cell therapy, immune cell therapy, and tissue engineering with an emphasis on immune modulation approaches to advance fundamental understanding or translational biomedical technologies.

The department comprises 34 faculty, approximately 100 graduate students, and 400 undergraduate students, with faculty conducting over $17M per year in research across traditional and emerging biomedical engineering areas. The department offers separate B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degree programs and maintains a strong sense of community and welcoming culture.

The position includes an expectation for active participation in focused mentoring and professional development opportunities. The successful candidate will interact with an interdisciplinary team of engineering faculty and related fields at Penn State, with strong relationships to the School of Medicine, Materials Research Institute, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and Institute for Computational and Data Sciences.

Screening of applicants begins November 15th; nominations and applications will be considered until the position is filled.

Responsibilities

• Teach courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels
• Develop an internationally recognized, externally-funded research program
• Contribute to the operation and promotion of the department, college, university, and profession through service
• Participate in focused mentoring and professional development opportunities
• Strengthen interdisciplinary graduate education through participation in relevant Huck Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs (e.g., Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Biosciences; Bioinformatics and Genomics; Neuroscience)
• Mentor students and build collaborations across colleges and disciplines

Requirements

• Doctorate in engineering or a related field, completed by the start date
• Demonstrated outstanding scholarly research
• Strong track record in engineering education
• Commitment to inclusivity

Application materials

Applicants should submit the following documents, uploaded as two PDFs (system limit: 5 documents, 5MB each):

• PDF 1 (all materials in this order, without journal publications):
  • Cover letter
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Separate statements on research and teaching aligned with Penn State Values (integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence, community)
  • Copies of 3 key publications
  • Names and addresses of five professional references
• PDF 2: Two selected journal publications only

Collaboration opportunities

The position is potentially supported in part by the Penn State Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, which serves as the university's primary engine for interdisciplinary life sciences research. Particularly relevant Huck strengths and opportunities include:

• Center for Cellular Dynamics — expertise in cell biology, molecular mechanisms, advanced imaging, and quantitative approaches to cellular organization and function, supporting cell engineering, tissue engineering, and cell-based therapies
• Center for Molecular Immunology and Infectious Disease — faculty working across immunology, host–pathogen interactions, inflammation, and immune responses, offering collaboration in immune-cell engineering and immune-modulation approaches
• Huck core facilities and advanced technology platforms — capabilities in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microscopy and imaging, flow cytometry, and other molecular and cellular characterization approaches
• Cross-institute opportunities — connections with the Materials Research Institute, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, and Penn State College of Medicine, enabling integration of biomaterials, advanced manufacturing, computation and AI, molecular and cellular biology, and clinical perspectives

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Robust retirement plans
• Generous 75% tuition discount for employees, eligible spouses, and children

Background checks

Employment requires successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.