Assistant Professor position in Materials Science & Engineering

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, invites applications for a full-time tenure-track faculty position to be filled at the Assistant Professor level beginning September 1, 2025. Candidates are sought in theory, computation, and simulation of materials (properties, characterization, or processing). The ideal candidate will excel in developing and applying innovative algorithms, software, and methods at different or bridging multiple length and time scales (atomistic to microstructural level via coarse graining). Areas of interest include hierarchical structure of materials, physics-informed artificial intelligence, or scientific machine learning, and codesign approaches. Although the search is agnostic to the methods and material classes, candidates are expected to pursue groundbreaking materials research that addresses global challenges, such as but not limited to allowing humanity to thrive in new environments, decarbonization, and energy conversion and storage technologies. The ideal candidate will have a strong and demonstrated interest in collaborating with experimentalists and/or industry partners. The successful candidate will be responsible for carrying out research, teaching, and service while building a vibrant research program that contributes to the department's mission and is committed to supporting diversity, equity, and a community of inclusion. The MSE Department is dedicated to building a diverse community and strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups. Qualified international applicants are also welcome.

The first academic department of its kind in the world, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University leads the field in materials innovation and education. Driven by curiosity and the thrill of discovery, faculty members use a transdisciplinary approach to connect fundamental science with engineering research, enabling technologies that improve our lives. The MSE Department consists of 24 faculty members and over 230 graduate students, 60 post-doctoral scholars, and 80 undergraduates. Research programs span many sub-disciplines of materials science and engineering that extend beyond traditional MSE boundaries with more than $43 million in research expenditures in FY2024. Faculty collaborate across departments in the McCormick School of Engineering, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and the Feinberg School of Medicine and outside institutions, such as the Art Institute of Chicago and nearby national laboratories, including Argonne National Laboratory, home of the Advanced Photon Source and the Center for Nanoscale Materials, and Fermilab, home of America's particle physics and accelerator laboratory. The MSE Department is home to state-of-the-art facilities for characterization, synthesis, and nanofabrication and incubates interdisciplinary collaborations through convergence research. The MSE Department anchors key federally and privately sponsored centers and institutes, including the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), NIST Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD), Simpson Querrey Institute (SQI), DOE Center for Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences (HEISs), Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics (QSIB), International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN), Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, and the Querrey InQbation Lab.

Proposed Start Date:

September 1, 2025 (negotiable)

Closing Date for Receipt of Applications:

Application review will begin on November 22, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled.

Contact Info (including where applicant should send package):

Pleasesubmit applicationsonline at https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/materials-science/careers.

For more information about the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, visit our website at https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/materials-science.

Address all inquiries to Professor James Rondinelli, Chair of the Search Committee or MJ Ray, Coordinator of the Search Committee at msefacsearch@northwestern.edu.