Professor of Materials Science & Engineering

Professor of Materials Science & Engineering

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MS&E) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison invites applications for an open-rank faculty position in the field of innovative, application-driven materials design aimed at addressing society’s grand challenges. We primarily seek candidates with a strong experimental research program but applicants with both computational and experimental focuses will be considered.

We seek visionary scholars who will shape the future of materials research by leveraging cutting-edge approaches to design, discovery, and application. While the specific research area is open, we are especially interested in candidates whose work is both synergistic with our departmental expertise and can broaden our impact into new areas. We welcome outstanding applicants from academia, industry, and national laboratories.

The MS&E department at UW–Madison is a vibrant and collaborative community of 23 primary faculty, 42 affiliate faculty, and a dedicated team of instructional and support staff. Our research enterprise is internationally recognized for driving advances in sustainability, extreme environment materials, autonomous research, additive manufacturing, energy production and storage, and information and quantum technologies. These efforts are propelled by innovative strategies in synthesis, processing, characterization, and discovery—empowered by AI, data science, and advanced computation. Faculty and students benefit from access to UW’s state-of-the-art facilities for materials synthesis, characterization, and high-performance computation.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Teach and develop undergraduate courses.
• Supervise graduate student research.
• Develop and direct a strong funded research program.
• Participate in departmental and university faculty governance and contribute to professional and public service.

Department:

College of Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering

Compensation:

Negotiable – 9 months / ongoing / renewable

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated record of academic achievement commensurate with career stage.
• Exceptional potential for establishing a world-class research program.
• Commitment to high-quality and inclusive undergraduate and graduate teaching, learning, and mentoring.
• Assistant Professor candidates must have a PhD in a relevant field.
• Associate and Full Professor candidates must possess experience and scholarly credentials meeting UW-Madison Divisional Committee and College of Engineering tenure standards.

Education:

PhD in Materials Science & Engineering or related field by start date and at least 2 years of relevant research experience.

How to Apply:

1. A cover letter.
2. A detailed curriculum vitae (CV) with full publication list.
3. A research statement of not more than five pages.
4. A teaching statement of not more than two pages.

The application should describe how the applicant’s research and teaching goals fit the solicitation. Please request three reference letters to be submitted directly by the referees to facultysearch@mse.wisc.edu.

The deadline for assuring full consideration is January 15, 2026. Applications may be considered until the position is filled.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process, please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to as soon as possible.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

Key skills/competency

• Materials Science
• Materials Design
• Experimental Research
• Computational Research
• AI/Machine Learning
• Data Science
• Synthesis and Processing
• Characterization
• Teaching
• Research Program Development