Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Tulsa Campus)

The School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, in coordination with the LaunchPad Center for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) at Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE), is pleased to invite applications for one tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher. Candidates with outstanding qualifications in aerospace engineering are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants are expected to demonstrate teaching and research interests in key areas of aerospace engineering. Academic appointments will be hosted in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE).

Successful candidates will have demonstrated potential for developing a strong externally funded research program and for excellent teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. An earned Ph.D. in a field closely aligned to advanced air mobility is required, and an earned B.S. or M.S. degree in aerospace engineering or a related field from an ABET-accredited or equivalent program is preferred. The research areas of the successful applicant must be in a rapidly developing area and reflect a strong promise of competitive extramural funding to support building an internationally recognized research program. The position will be located at the OSU Tulsa campus in the Helmerich Research Center.

Preference will be given to candidates interested in collaborative efforts and multi-disciplinary multi-investigator research programs aligned with OSU's OAIRE. While all competitive candidates will be considered, areas of particular interest include (but are not limited to) teaching and research expertise in one of the following areas:

• AAM/Aerospace Vehicle Design/Optimization
• Aerospace Structures/Materials
• Airspace Operations/Integration
• Systems Engineering (aerospace subsystems: powertrain, electronics, hybrid/electric)
• AI/ML autonomy and guidance
• Aerodynamics; Flow Control; Bio-Inspired Aviation
• Aerospace propulsion, including hybrid and electric power, and space propulsion

The School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at Oklahoma State University has a strong local, national, and international reputation for its premier undergraduate and graduate education and research programs. As one of the largest academic departments, the School has a total of 42 faculty members consisting of a vibrant combination of senior faculty members and a large number of young and motivated tenure track members: 23 tenured, 12 tenure-track, and 7 teaching professors. The School is home to over 1,500 students, comprising 1,363 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students. Undergraduate laboratories are supported by more than 100,000 of floor space in the new ENDEAVOR building and the Design Manufacturing Laboratories, and research is supported across multiple large-scale facilities including the Advanced Technology Research Center, EXCELSIOR, the Helmerich Research Center (Tulsa), and the dedicated 80-acre Unmanned Systems Flight Station. The School is also home to several national and statewide programs including; CIBS (Center for Integrated Building Systems), OAIRE (Oklahoma Aerospace Institute), NASA Oklahoma Space Grant EPSCoR, Counter-UAS Center of Excellence, LaunchPad Center for Advanced Mobility, and New Product Development Center.

The School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees on both the main campus and the Tulsa campus reaching a diverse population of traditional and non-traditional students. The School offers ABET-accredited degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. It also offers Master's and PhD degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering including an option for Unmanned Aerial Systems.

The School hosts strong research programs that cover a broad spectrum of traditional, emerging, and interdisciplinary areas of interest, including, but not limited to; unmanned aerial vehicles, flight dynamics and aerodynamics, propulsion and power, numerical and experimental solid mechanics, numerical and experimental fluid mechanics, dynamics and controls, manufacturing, thermal systems, biomechanics and biofluids.

The School has developed a highly professional and collegial culture of dedicated professors who are teachers of excellence and researchers with distinction. The School places high emphasis on a collaborative, team-based approach to solving pressing problems in science, engineering, and technology.

Oklahoma State University was established in 1890 as a comprehensive land-grant university. Today, with over 35,000 students across a five-campus system, the university has a strong national presence. Oklahoma State University is an R1 university with its main campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a safe city of 50,000 residents with strong public schools and affordable housing of high quality. Travel is convenient with an airport in Stillwater, as well as flight options from two cosmopolitan cities—Tulsa and Oklahoma City—which are only 65 miles away.

The Helmerich Research Center (HRC) is a state-of-the-art research, development, testing, and education center located on the OSU-Tulsa campus near downtown Tulsa. The mission is focused on providing research, testing, technology transfer, and education to advance the region's aerospace, energy, manufacturing, transportation, electronics, and medical industries. Research at the HRC has a positive impact on the economy and quality of life for the region and provides opportunities for OSU students and faculty to work hand-in-hand with industries.

The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) acts as the center of gravity for a statewide initiative to answer industry and federal demand for innovation, excellence, and expertise in aerospace. OAIRE brings the state's aerospace innovation economy together under one umbrella. OAIRE supports ongoing and future partnerships between universities, commercial, military, and government agencies, becoming a valuable resource for developing Oklahoma's aerospace ecosystem. That includes generating high-tech jobs and cutting-edge research that brings commercial enterprise and military sustainment support to the state. The comprehensive scope of OAIRE also includes K-12 outreach programs focused on STEM connections, building the Oklahoma aerospace workforce pipeline, and promoting community involvement.

The LaunchPad Research and Technology Center, led and implemented by Oklahoma State University, seeks to address the persistent lack of industry-aligned research and development in the Tulsa region. The Launchpad Research Center supports advanced air mobility (AAM) research & entrepreneurship. Leveraging an $18M EDA Grant win in collaboration with Tulsa Innovation Lab (TIL) and the Osage Nation, OSU has committed $10M in support for faculty, research engineers, and technologies to establish the Launchpad and the Skyway Range. This provides unique national capabilities focusing on the gap in commercialization and the opportunity to build stronger partnerships with industry and entrepreneurs.

Qualifications: An earned Ph.D. in a field closely aligned with the advanced air mobility field is required, and an earned B.S. or M.S. degree in aerospace engineering or a related field from an ABET-accredited or equivalent program is preferred.

Applications: Interested and qualified candidates should apply online at A single PDF file is requested with your application. The file should include:

• a cover letter;
• a curriculum vitae;
• a plan to secure external funding with descriptions of two planned research projects;
• a statement of teaching interests and philosophy;
• names and contact information of five references.

Send requests for additional information to the search committee chair, Dr. Jamey Jacob at Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

All positions are subject to the availability of funding, and any offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.