Asst/Assoc Professor, Cyber-Physical Security Aerospace and Ocean Systems

The Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering invites applications for several tenure-track or tenured faculty positions in cyber and cyber-physical security of aerospace and ocean systems effective August 2018. This open-rank search is part of the Virginia Tech Integrated Security Destination Area (provost.vt.edu/destination-areas.html) cluster search, which is planning to hire 14 new faculty this year.   The positions will be filled, depending upon qualifications, at a rank commensurate with experience.  A Ph.D. degree in engineering or science is required.  Candidates for this position should be capable of conducting research with primary focus on the development of aerospace and/or ocean systems that are resilient to cyber or cyber-physical security threats or that provide significant resilience of other critical systems to such threats.  Candidates are expected to contribute to teaching Aerospace or Ocean Engineering subject matter at both the undergraduate and graduate level.  

Virginia Tech is strategically investing in hiring innovative faculty to advance its vision to grow beyond boundaries and become a premier 21^st-century global land-grant institution through our Destination Areas initiative.  As interconnected areas of strength, Destination Areas facilitate faculty collaborations that bridge disciplines to create innovative and transformative solutions to global issues, while positioning Virginia Tech as a premier destination for talent that seeks to advance the human condition. 

 

The Integrated Security Destination Area focuses on understanding and fostering a world in which individuals, institutions, and nations are secured by technology and social systems that follow ethical principles and promote values of social justice. Faculty working together in this area are bringing a transdisciplinary approach to the complex range of human and systems security challenges. Work in this area also embraces equity in the human condition by seeking the equitable distribution and availability of physical safety and well-being, psychological well-being, respect for human dignity, and access to crucial material and social resources throughout the world’s diverse communities. This Destination Area further addresses policymaking and policy analysis, collaborating at the intersection of scientific evidence, governance, and analyses to translate scholarship into practice. Visit provost.vt.edu/destination-areas.html for more information about this initiative.

 

The successful candidates will be part of the cohort of faculty working on Integrated Security, but will have their primary appointment in a Department that is comprised of 37 faculty members, with approximately 175 full-time graduate students and 500 undergraduate students.  The candidate may contribute to the department’s existing collaborations with the Hume Center for National Security and Technology (www.hume.vt.edu), the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (www.ictas.vt.edu) and the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space@VT, www.space.vt.edu).

 

Virginia Tech recognizes the critical importance of diverse teams of scholars.  It seeks to diversify its faculty along multiple dimensions, including those that have been historically marginalized and excluded given the institutional history and legacy of the university.  Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world.  Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT—serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence.  We seek candidates who adopt and practice the Principles of Community, which are fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members.  Virginia Tech is a recipient of the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award to increase the participation of women in academic science and engineering careers.  Virginia Tech is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.  The AOE Department strongly supports the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.  Information about the AOE Department is available at www.aoe.vt.edu.

 

Applicants must provide a cover letter, contact information for three professional references, a candidate statement discussing teaching, research, professional goals, and interest in and experience working with diverse groups and underrepresented populations, and a current CV.  Those wishing further information about the search process may contact Dr. Mark Psiaki, Faculty Search Committee Chair, Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, 205 Randolph Hall, Virginia Tech, 460 Old Turner Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061 or at mlpsiaki@vt.edu.  

 

Interested individuals can find a description of the larger cluster search, and submit an application online at https://listings.jobs.vt.edu/postings/80313. Review of applications will begin December 1, 2017, and continue until the positions are filled