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The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in multidisciplinary design and optimization (MDO), with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2027.

We seek outstanding candidates advancing the theory, computation, and application of MDO for complex engineering systems, with particular emphasis on aerospace applications and AI-driven approaches. Advances in machine learning, high-performance computing, and digital engineering are reshaping how complex aerospace systems are designed. Design cycles that once proceeded sequentially, discipline by discipline, can now be posed as a single coupled problem, so that structural integrity, thermal management, aerodynamic performance, and propulsion efficiency are optimized simultaneously rather than reconciled after the fact.

Areas of primary interest include AI-integrated aerospace vehicle design; digital engineering and autonomous system optimization; surrogate modeling for complex aero-thermal systems; and data-driven flight dynamics. Related areas include optimization of coupled multiphysics systems, reduced-order modeling, design under uncertainty and robust or reliability-based optimization, and model-based systems engineering. Candidates developing broadly applicable methodologies are encouraged to apply regardless of the specific application domain in which their work has been demonstrated.

The successful candidate will establish a high-impact, externally funded research program; teach and mentor students at the undergraduate and graduate levels; and contribute to the intellectual life of the department and the profession. The position will strengthen the department’s systems and design area and provide opportunities for collaboration across dynamics and controls, fluid dynamics and propulsion, mechanics of materials and structures, and thermal and transport sciences, as well as across the Samueli School of Engineering and Southern California’s aerospace and technology community.

Applications should be submitted at http://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF10462, the UCI Recruit portal.

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.

Applications received by December 16, 2026 will receive full consideration. Applications will continue to be accepted until June 30, 2027, but those received after the review date will be considered only if the position has not yet been filled. Questions regarding this position may be directed to Professor Marco Panesi (mpanesi@uci.edu).

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.