Assistant Professor Position in Construction Management and Infrastructure Engineering

Assistant Professor Position in Construction Management and Infrastructure Engineering

Location :

University of Tennessee Knoxville

Open Date : Sep 16, 2025

Description :

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level in Construction and Infrastructure Engineering. We are particularly interested in candidates with interest and expertise in areas such as (a) transformational construction process and advanced construction technologies including additive manufacturing / 3D printing, autonomous construction and robotics, cyber-physical systems, digital twins, AI / ML and computer vision, Internet of Things (IoT), BIM / VDC, data-driven simulation and optimization, safety analytics, and construction informatics; or b) sustainable building science—including indoor environmental quality (IEQ) (indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, lighting), occupant-centric modeling and controls, building physics,  grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs), building-to-grid (B2G) integration, energy efficiency and demand flexibility, and novel infrastructure materials with LCA and circularity considerations. Candidates whose research bridges construction automation with healthy, energy-efficient, and resilient buildings are also encouraged to apply.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) has 25 tenure-line faculty members and five non-tenured full-time teaching faculty and offers baccalaureate, masters, and PhD degrees in all areas of Civil and Environmental Engineering. CEE faculty collaborate through a number of interdisciplinary centers including the Center for Transportation Research, the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, and the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing. The department is also leading the Future of Construction Initiative, featuring a full-scale robotic arm 3-D concrete printing facility. As the leading university partner in UT-Battelle, the management company for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), UTK offers extraordinary opportunities for cutting-edge research in science and engineering with the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII). The department ranks in the top 5% of all US Civil and Environmental Engineering programs in per-faculty scholarly publications and citations according to Academic Analytics.

The Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success, including adding over 30 new faculty to the college over 4 years as part of ambitious hiring campaigns led by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank in the past three years. 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 UTK’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF).

TCE currently has 203 tenure / tenure track and 79 non-tenure track faculty in its nine academic departments and offers 11 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD / DE 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 4,300 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate students, the college sits 29th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 29 early career awards (NSF, DOE, DARPA, AFOSR, and ARO) since 2016. In FY24, the college had annual research expenditures of $113.6M.

Knoxville, TN is a vibrant city with a beautiful and walkable downtown, active neighborhoods, an effervescent nightlife that includes numerous theaters and museums, a rich live music scene across all genres, and eclectic restaurants. Knoxville is nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, surrounded by lakes and the Tennessee River, providing amazing access to various outdoor activities. Knoxville is within easy driving distance of four major metropolitan areas that regularly host larger cultural and entertainment events.

Qualifications :

• Earned doctorate in Civil Engineering or closely related field at the time the position is filled
• Research and teaching interests in Construction Engineering and Management
• Demonstrated record of publishing in high quality academic journals
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment
• Must be eligible to work in the US by the time of the appointment

Application Instructions :

Applicants should submit a single PDF file which includes :

Applications review will begin on November 1, 2025 and continue until the position is filled. Questions about the position should be directed to Dr. Hongyu “Nick” Zhou, Chair of the Search Committee (voice : 865-974-0722; email hzhou8@utk.edu).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement :

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university.

Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to  eoa@utk.edu , or by phone at 865-974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation and Resolution, 216 Business Incubator Building, E J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to  investigations@utk.edu , or by phone at 865-974-0717.