Department Head & Professor, Department of Nuclear Engineering

Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering (NE) in the Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The expected start is August 1, 2024.  NE is housed in the Zeanah Engineering Complex, a new facility opened in Fall 2021 that supports groundbreaking research with 27 new nuclear engineering laboratories including shielded rooms for a neutron-generator-driven Fast Neutron Source and a 9 MV linear accelerator. The department currently has an enrollment of nearly 200 undergraduate and 160 graduate students, with a faculty of 25 (18 T/TT) and annual research expenditures that exceed $17M. The department is ranked 7th overall among NE departments offering the doctoral degree (U.S. News and World Report, 2024) with the largest PhD student enrollment in the US.  It is ranked 3rd among US NE departments in articles per faculty member, federal research expenditures per faculty member, and in average scholarly research index (Academic Analytics, 6/21/23 release).  NE benefits from strong research partnerships with organizations such as the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex.

Primary responsibilities of the department head are: 1) to provide visionary leadership; 2) to encourage excellence and innovation in research, teaching, and service; 3) to advance the professional development of faculty, staff and students; 4) to promote productive relationships with all constituents including students, parents, alumni, industry, national laboratories, and government agencies; and 5) to foster productive interdisciplinary relationships with a variety of entities across the University community. The next department head will have the opportunity to lead the department in its pursuit of excellence through strategic hires in key areas through college and university-level initiatives such as cluster hires and Governor's Chairs. 

The Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee is seeking candidates who have the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University.

Required Qualifications:  PhD in nuclear engineering or other appropriate discipline.  Candidates must have a record of accomplishments consistent with appointment as a tenured full professor at a top nuclear engineering program. 

Desired Qualifications:  The successful candidate should demonstrate a balanced perspective on research, teaching and service as well as the vision and ability to lead a faculty representing a diverse range of interests. Demonstrated excellence in research, technical leadership, management, and graduate and undergraduate teaching is preferred.

The Tickle College of Engineering is undergoing an unprecedented period of growth and success and anticipates adding over 30 new faculty over the next three years as part of ambitious cluster hiring campaigns lead by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, diversity, and intellectual property development for two years running. New facilities include the state-of-the art Zeanah Engineering Complex, the University of Tennessee Manufacturing and Design Enterprise (TN-MADE) facility, and the Innovation South building now under construction that will house UT’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF). TCE currently has 185 T/TT and 67 NTT faculty in its seven academic departments and offers 12 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD degree programs. Affiliated with TCE and located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, the UT Space Institute is a hub of aerospace and defense research. The college is also home to eight research centers and three interdisciplinary institutes. With approximately 3,800 undergraduate and 1,150 graduate students, the college sits 31st among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 21 early career awards (NSF, DoE, DARPA, AFOSR, and ARO) since 2016. In FY22, the college had NSF HERD research expenditures of $109 million.

Knoxville is a regional center for employment, commerce, and health care. It has a thriving downtown, beautiful nearby urban wilderness areas, is within an hour of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and is located within 3 hours of two major metropolitan centers, Atlanta and Nashville. Further, East Tennessee is the home of over 100 nuclear companies.