Recruit

Assistant (Tenure-Track) Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE)

Faculty Position in
Aero/Space Structures

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) is inviting applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor rank, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2027.

The rapidly evolving landscape of aerospace engineering, driven by advances in next-generation aircraft, urban air mobility, hypersonic and high-speed vehicles, and ambitious space initiatives such as NASA’s Artemis program, the United States Space Force, and the growing commercial space sector, calls for pioneering innovations in aerospace and space structures. Future air and space platforms will demand structures that are lighter, stronger, more adaptable, and more efficient than conventional approaches allow, spanning applications from high-performance airframes to deployable, in-orbit, and lunar/planetary structures.. To address these challenges, UCI’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering seeks exceptional applicants with demonstrated potential to become a leader in aero/space structures.

Areas of Interest span experimental, computational, and theoretical thrusts and include:

• Advanced structural concepts for air and space platforms, including deployable, reconfigurable, and morphing structures (origami- and kirigami-inspired, thin-shell composite, and tensegrity concepts), in-space manufacturing, and in-space/in-field robotic, modular, and autonomous assembly and repair of large-scale structures.

• Aerospace structures leveraging advanced composites and additive manufacturing, including AI-driven strategies for manufacturing, computational design and optimization, and adaptive or multifunctional structures with integrated actuation and sensing.

• Structural mechanics and life-cycle assessment of aircraft and spacecraft structures with emphasis on materials behavior and characterization, including fatigue, fracture, and damage tolerance, aeroelasticity, and structural health monitoring across airframe and space-structure applications with extreme thermal, mechanical, and/or dynamic loading.

• Emerging structural challenges in hypersonic, reusable, and autonomous platforms, including thermal-structural and aerothermoelastic response, and resilient, rapidly manufacturable structures for next-generation defense and space missions.

• Structural dynamics of large, flexible, and ultralight space structures, including pointing-error mitigation under attitude-control maneuvers.

For full consideration, applications should be submitted by December 15, 2026. This position will remain open until filled. Apply online at recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF10461.

Documentation Required: Curriculum Vitae, Cover Letter, Statement of Research, Reflective Teaching Mentoring Statement, Publications (three publications or manuscripts), References (contact information only - 3 required). Reference letters will be requested at a later stage of candidates under serious consideration.

The University of California is one of the premier public university systems in the world. UCI is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is ranked as a top ten public university by U.S. News and World Report and was identified by the New York Times as number one among U.S. universities that do the most for low-income students. UCI is a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). These federal designations align with UCI’s aspiration to be a national leader and global model of inclusive excellence. We seek faculty who are committed to inclusive excellence as well as diverse faculty who will be role models for our students. UCI is located in Orange County, four miles from the Pacific Ocean and 45 miles south of Los Angeles. Irvine offers a very pleasant year-round climate, numerous recreational and cultural opportunities.

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment.
  

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.