Director of Laboratory Development -Academic Professional (Open Rank)

Overview

Georgia Tech prides itself on its technological resources, collaborations, high-quality student body, and its commitment to building an outstanding and diverse community of learning, discovery, and creation. We strongly encourage applicants whose values align with our institutional values, as outlined in our Strategic Plan. These values include academic excellence, diversity of thought and experience, inquiry and innovation, collaboration and community, and ethical behavior and stewardship. Georgia Tech has policies to promote a healthy work-life balance and is aware that attracting faculty may require meeting the needs of two careers.

About Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech's faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top 20 universities for research and development spending and No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do:

1. Students are our top priority.

2. We strive for excellence.

3. We thrive on diversity.

4. We celebrate collaboration.

5. We champion innovation.

6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.

7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.

8. We act ethically.

9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

About the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology

The Woodruff School graduates high caliber mechanical engineers for a demanding profession. Mechanical engineers are the foundation of today's technological world. To do so, we provide enhanced facilities and laboratories to create the best learning environment and we attract outstanding faculty and students. In this period of rapid technological change, the Woodruff School produces mechanical engineers who are vital to our future. With approximately 3,000 students,100 faculty members, and 70 staff members, we are one of the largest mechanical engineering programs in the country. We are consistently ranked as one of the top 10 mechanical engineering programs in the U.S. at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and continuously innovate to keep our school at the forefront of engineering education. Our size and resources allow us to offer a diversity of educational and research opportunities that enable us to produce highly sought after engineering professionals.

Atlanta, GA

We are in search of Academic Professional, Director of Laboratory Development.

This position will support the undergraduate laboratory courses and enhance the undergraduate curricula in the instructional labs in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. In addition, the position will encompass a combination of teaching and administrative responsibilities.

Duties for this position may include but are not limited to

• Teach an undergraduate laboratory course each semester (ME3057 or ME3058), which includes lecturing, coordinating with all course GTAs, and preparing lab equipment and materials.
• Teach one additional course such as ME 2016 (Computing Techniques), ME 2110 (Creative Decisions and Design), ME 3017 (System Dynamics), ME 3180 (Mechanical Design and Analysis), ME 4182 (Capstone Design), ME 4000-level Elective Labs
• Develop hands-on prototype lab exercises and instructional materials in the undergraduate curriculum, including support the engineering communication curriculum sequence, and assess results.
• Improve the laboratory courses, update laboratory exercises, upgrade laboratory technologies, and to develop new laboratory concepts.
• Build partnerships with industry to drive sponsorship and inform curriculum decisions.
• Other duties as assigned

This position vacancy is an open rank announcement. Final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Non-tenure Track Academic Faculty ranks as outlined in section 3.2.2 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook (https://www.policylibrary.gatech.edu/faculty-handbook/3.2.2-non-tenure-track-academic-faculty-members-hiring-and-promotion-guidelines )

Associate Academic Professional

• This is the entry-level rank and normally requires completion of the terminal degree. In exceptional cases, this rank may be used for individuals completing a terminal degree and for a period of two (2) years.

Academic Professional

• Terminal degree
• Significant related experience or promotion from the rank of Associate Academic Professional
• Quality of performance and potential development must be recognized by peers.

Senior Academic Professional

• Terminal degree
• Evidence of superior performance in the chosen field
• Recognition by peers (whether national, regional, or local)
• Successful and measurable related experience
• Five (5) years or more as an Academic Professional

Principal Academic Professional

• Terminal degree
• Evidence of superior performance in the chosen field
• Recognition by peers (whether national, regional, or local)
• Successful and measurable related experience supervising others work
• Successful and measurable related experience in a position of significant responsibility and authority within a program area
• Demonstrated impact.

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching and/or lab instruction.
• Experience with experimental research is highly beneficial.

1. Strong Technical Expertise in Mechanical Engineering Experimentation

Both courses emphasize hands on experimental engineering. A faculty member should have deep knowledge of:

For ME 3057 (Experimental Methods Laboratory):

• Instrumentation and measurement systems including calibration, precision, and error analysis.
• Data acquisition systems, signal conditioning, filtering, and spreadsheet based analysis.
• Mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and control systems instrumentation (e.g., load cells, thermocouples, LVDTs, viscometers).
• Microcontroller architecture and programming for open/closed loop control.
• Familiarity with Matlab and Python

For ME 3058 (Mechanical Engineering Systems Laboratory):

Measurement and analysis of mechanical, acoustic, thermodynamic, fluid, and heat transfer systems.
Use of transducers, DAQs, signal processing, regression analysis, and experimental statistics.
Experience working with advanced experimental setups (e.g., laser Doppler sensors, refrigeration systems, pumps, convection/radiation rigs).

Familiarity with Matlab and Python

2. Ability to Develop, Maintain, and Oversee Undergraduate Laboratory Environments

The courses require someone who can design and run complex labs:

• Ability to set up, operate, maintain, and troubleshoot lab equipment. This aligns with requirements seen in lab related job roles at Georgia Tech.
• Knowledge of laboratory inventory management, safety protocols, and equipment calibration.
• Ability to prepare samples and experimental setups, maintain instruments, and keep the lab operational for student use.

3. Background in Experimental Statistics and Data Analysis

Faculty must be able to teach and apply:

• Uncertainty analysis, bias/precision error propagation.
• Statistical tools including regression, significance testing, averaging, and confidence intervals.
• Techniques for comparing theory vs. experimental results.

4. Experience Teaching or Managing Team Based Engineering Projects

Both labs include teamwork as a major learning outcome:

• Ability to guide student teams in planning, execution, and reporting of experimental work.
• Skill in fostering collaboration and resolving team based challenges.
• Experience managing and training Teaching Assistants(TA).

5. Familiarity With Core Prerequisite and Co Requisite Knowledge

A faculty member should be fluent in the theory underlying the lab experiments, which are built on:

System dynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, deformable bodies, probability & statistics.

Please contact Ms. Shin Ae Cho at shinae.cho@me.gatech.edu for additional information.

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The Institute is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and Institute policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of the University System of Georgia ("USG") and Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of an individual's race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

This is not a supervisory position.
This position does not have any financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is not considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position will not travel
This position does not require security clearance.

The candidate of choice will be required to pass a pre-employment background screening. http://policylibrary.gatech.edu/employment/pre-employment-screening.

Applicants should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, a 1-page teaching statement, a 1-page statement on how your experiences have prepared you to support Tech's mission and values, and the names and contact information for at least three references. Candidates with prior teaching experience are encouraged to submit a teaching portfolio, sample syllabi and summary of teaching evaluations as well.