Department
Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering

Rank
Research Associate Professor

Position Summary
The Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) and the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama (UA) invite applications for a non-tenure-track Renewable Contract Research faculty at the rank of Associate Professor in the area of Water Resources Engineering.

Detailed Position Information
The Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE: https://cce.eng.ua.edu/) and the College of Engineering (CoE: https://eng.ua.edu/) at The University of Alabama (UA: https://ua.edu/) invite applications for a non-tenure-track Renewable Contract Research faculty position at the rank of Associate Professor in the area of Water Resources Engineering.

In the area of Water Resources Engineering, The University of Alabama has positioned itself as an international leader in the broad spectrum of critical water challenges and issues facing society today and well into the future. UA is the home to a variety of organizations and units that focus on water-related research including the Alabama Water Institute, the National Water Center, the Global Water Security Center, the USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, and the NOAA Cooperative Institute on Research to Operations in Hydrology. While all these water-related institutes and research centers engage faculty from across The University of Alabama, the UA College of Engineering and its departments and faculty play central and pivotal roles in virtually all aspects of this expansive water research enterprise. As a result, there are tremendous opportunities at The University of Alabama in its various engineering departments and programs for new and established faculty members to join our constantly growing efforts in this exciting, impactful, and critical area.

Of particular interest in this search are candidates with research interests in large-domain hydrologic modeling, operational hydrologic forecasting, flood and drought prediction, hydroinformatics, and other areas within the research themes of the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH: https://ciroh.ua.edu).

Primary duties of the successful candidate will include developing a high-impact research program, translating research into operations and applications, writing competitive proposals to seek external funding to support a self-sustaining research group, publications in high quality peer reviewed journals and conferences, presentations at national and international conferences, supervising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, serving on thesis and dissertation committees, intellectual leadership and other scholarly efforts. This will include associated supporting activities within the department including participating in the department seminar series, collaboration, collegiality, commitment to the safety culture, and appropriate service roles.

The CCEE department offers ABET/EAC accredited B.S. degrees in Architectural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, and Environmental Engineering. The department offers six minors in the areas of Architectural, Civil, Construction, Environmental and Water Resources, Transportation, and Structural Engineering. The undergraduate programs have a sustained enrollment of nearly 800 students. At the graduate level, the CCEE department also has active MS and PhD programs in Civil Engineering and MS program in Environmental Engineering, with a total sustained graduate enrollment of nearly 120 students.

The CCEE Department, College, and University are also notable for the collegial, welcoming and supportive spirit built into the fabric of who we are and how we interact across our College family of students, faculty, and staff. It is therefore expected that candidates demonstrate an ability to support this important aspect of our community.

Appointments to the faculty of The University of Alabama are based on the personnel requirements of the University’s academic programs and on the goal of achieving and maintaining excellence in its teaching, research, and service/academic citizenship activities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Earned Ph.D. in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline from an accredited institution.
• Demonstrated record of prior research work and a record of impactful scholarly publications in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and similarly impactful venues.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Show the potential to construct and sustain a quality research program.
  
  Applicants must also meet all university criteria for appointment to the rank of Renewable Contract Research Associate Professor.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a faculty member or equivalent in an academic/research setting.
• Experience working in operational hydrology applications.
• Demonstrated a record of high-quality research and scholarly publications that is recognized nationally and/or internationally.
• Significant record of scholarship in civil engineering, or a closely related department with both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
• Post-doctoral experience or other similar post-graduate experience.
• Attainment, progress toward or demonstrated interest in professional licensure or other applicable professional certification (FE or PE).
• Exceptional collegial, interpersonal, and mentoring skills.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Required application documents include a: (1) cover letter that includes both the department name and rank of position for which the candidate is applying, (2) a resume/curriculum vitae, (3) a 4 to 6 page statement of research interests and plans, and (4) the names and contact information for at least four references.

Review of applications will begin immediately, and the search will continue until the positions are filled. The expected start date of the position is January 2026 or earlier. The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. Candidates from under-represented groups are encouraged to apply. 

Questions about the position can be directed to rbertini@ua.edu.

About the College of Engineering

As the premier flagship university for the state of Alabama and as one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering instruction, The University of Alabama (UA) has more than 175 years of proud engineering history. UA’s College of Engineering is committed to conducting cutting-edge research that advances the frontiers of science and engineering, translating such fundamental advancements and knowledge through applied research and technology commercialization into impactful solutions which improve the human condition and address the challenges facing humankind, and using that immersive research environment to provide unparalleled educational experiences and opportunities for our students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a College, we pride ourselves on educating and preparing the next generation of engineering and computer science scholars and professionals who will positively shape the future around us. Through our educational, research, and service activities that support our overall vision to be one of the most impactful engineering programs in the nation, our College continues to provide leadership in the many professional disciplines represented by our College and to the community, state, and nation as we advance our professions, the economy, and the lives of all those whom we serve.

The UA College of Engineering is comprised of seven departments: Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. These departments currently deliver 13 different undergraduate and 15 different graduate degree programs. Overall, the College enrolls approximately 6,000 students, making it one of the largest colleges out of the more than 40,000 students on UA’s campus.

While the university has been on a constant mission to advance in every aspect of its operations since its inception, UA has in particular seen transformative growth in its research enterprise and impact over the past decade. Through the efforts of The University, UA Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED), College of Engineering and its’ centers, departments, and faculty, UA’s research enterprise has surged dramatically higher in the last five to ten years. This recent and continuing steep growth rate of research has positioned UA as one of the fastest growing research institutions in the nation. More specifically, the UA College of Engineering has seen annual research awards and expenditures grow at an average of more than 25% per year for more than the last 5 years, now surpassing $100 million annually in new research awards. By more than doubling research over the past 5 to 7 years, the size of the graduate programs across the College has doubled as well. The continued ambitious growth of research programs amongst our existing faculty and research centers combined with the recent significant additions of a large number of new tenure-track and tenured faculty, particularly the addition of more than 60 such new highly research active faculty over the past three years, has positioned the UA College of Engineering for maintaining this steep trajectory of research growth and impact well into the future.

The educational activities of the College of Engineering and its constantly increasing volume of impactful research are enabled and supported by a tremendous combination of amazing faculty and staff, an outstanding array of modern new facilities that are the envy of its peers, and a world-class student body at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The College currently has more than 185 faculty members, and has as mentioned earlier seen the addition of significant number of new faculty over the past three years with more than 75 new faculty joining the College in that time period and plans to hire an additional 20 to 30 faculty this year as well. In terms of facilities, the College of Engineering has one of the largest overall footprints of any college at UA, currently occupying all or significant portions of 17 different facilities across campus. Some of the most recent additions to that space are the state-of-the-art facilities provided for many of the College’s departments in the recently completed Shelby Science and Engineering Quad that was built at a cost approaching $400 million.

In addition to the traditional engineering departments and their facilities, there are also more than 8 different major research centers housed within the College that span and support a wide-ranging set of research thrust areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, additive manufacturing, advanced materials, functional polymers and soft matter, water resources and water technology, advanced transportation and vehicle technology, and more. These centers bring together faculty from across the College and the University to capitalize on emerging technological opportunities and to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the planet both today and well into the future. In addition to these College research centers, a number of university-level research institutes and centers including the Alabama Water Institute, the Alabama Transportation Institute, and the Alabama Mobility and Power Center, also provide support and infrastructure to an array of research thrusts and projects that engage faculty from across the College and University. This synergistic combination of outstanding people, facilities, and resources will continue to fuel the College of Engineering’s advancement and growth in education and research well into the future.

Overall, with its award-winning faculty and staff, outstanding and growing student body, tremendous array of state-of-the-art facilities, diverse offerings of nationally accredited degree programs, and the strong support of its local, state, and national partners, the UA College of Engineering has positioned itself for continued success and rapid advancement as a leader in engineering science, education, and practice. The College is looking for new faculty who want to build or continue their career in a dynamic organization with truly unlimited potential.

It is indeed an exciting time to join The University of Alabama and the College of Engineering. The UA College of Engineering has recently embarked on its “Top-30+ by ‘30” initiative which aims to have the College and all of its departments and programs achieve top-30 impact in all dimensions of our operations. Those impacts and dimensions include offering a comprehensive set of innovative degree program covering the full spectrum of engineering and computer science fields, enrolling a number of students and conferring a number of degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to be one of the largest producers of engineering talent in the nation, achieving continued outstanding growth in research awards and expenditures to enable continued expansion of our graduate programs and research activities, continuing to scale scholarly research productivity to be a major force in pushing the frontiers of our disciplines, and to playing an ever more important role in shaping our disciplines and the future of computer science, engineering, and technology through local, national and international service. To achieve those goals, the College, with strong support of the University, is deploying substantial resources in hiring new faculty, developing new facilities including both laboratory and computing resources, and expanding our research and educational programs. These activities present an outstanding opportunity here at The University of Alabama for individuals to fulfill their career objectives and dreams as a faculty member in an environment that can fully support their development as an excellent scholar, researcher, and teacher.

About The University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants to and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. "EEO is the Law" https://www.eeoc.gov/overview