Professor Jobs in El Paso, TX

The Department of Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering (MMBME) at The University of Texas at El Paso is one of the university's oldest and most research-intensive engineering departments. Its origins trace back to UTEP's founding as the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy in 1914, reflecting a long-standing tradition of excellence in minerals, materials, and engineering education.

MMBME is part of the Miguel A. Loya College of Engineering and is dedicated to advancing knowledge in the processing, structure, properties, and performance of materials, while also addressing challenges in healthcare through biomedical engineering. The department combines fundamental scientific principles with engineering innovation to develop solutions for energy, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure, medicine, and national security.

The department offers undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students for careers in industry, research, healthcare technology, and academia, including:

• B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
• B.S. in Mining Engineering (starting Fall 2027)
• M.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering
• M.S. in Biomedical Engineering
• Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering
• Minor in Materials Science and Engineering
• Minor in Biomedical Engineering

MMBME is recognized for its strong emphasis on experiential learning, undergraduate research, laboratory education, and industry engagement. Students gain hands-on experience through state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative research projects involving advanced materials characterization, additive manufacturing, biomaterials, tissue engineering, extractive metallurgy, aerospace materials, sensors, polymers, materials for extreme environments, and emerging technologies.

The department maintains a robust research portfolio supported by federal agencies, national laboratories, and industrial partners. Faculty and students conduct interdisciplinary research in areas such as:

• Materials characterization and performance
• Materials in extreme environments
• Materials development
• Computational materials engineering
• Advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing
• Critical materials and materials for energy storage and sustainability
• Engineering education
• Biomaterials, tissue engineering and nanoparticle drug delivery methods

Building on its historic mining heritage, UTEP has recently relaunched its Mining Engineering program with significant support from the University of Texas System, the Texas Legislature, and industry partners, further strengthening the department's role in addressing workforce needs related to critical minerals, resource extraction, and sustainable materials development.

The Department of Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering (MMBME) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor in Computational Metallurgy and Materials Engineering. Exceptional candidates with an established record of scholarship, external funding, and leadership may be considered for appointment at the Associate Professor rank.

The successful candidate will contribute to UTEP's growing strengths in computational materials science, advanced manufacturing, materials design, and digital engineering while supporting the department's strategic vision aligned with the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), artificial intelligence, and data-driven materials discovery.

Areas of Interest

The department seeks candidates with a primary expertise in computational modeling of advanced manufacturing processes and prediction of the structure of materials. A successful candidate must possess an expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Computational materials science
• Computational metallurgy
• Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME)
• CALPHAD and computational thermodynamics
• Phase-field modeling
• Density Functional Theory (DFT)
• Microstructure prediction and evolution

Secondary expertise in the following topics is desired but not required:

• Molecular dynamics
• Materials informatics
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence for materials design
• Advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing
• Computational geometallurgy

Primary Responsibilities

1. Teaching

The successful candidate will:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in metallurgical and materials engineering.
• Develop new courses in computational materials science, materials informatics, AI-assisted materials design, and ICME.
• Integrate computational tools into core courses including thermodynamics, kinetics, physical metallurgy, materials processing, corrosion, and materials selection.
• Mentor undergraduate researchers, M.S. students, and Ph.D. students.
• Contribute to curriculum development and continuous improvement efforts supporting ABET-accredited programs.

Potential specialty courses may include:

• Computational Materials Engineering
• Materials Informatics and Machine Learning
• ICME for Materials Design
• Computational Thermodynamics and CALPHAD
• Digital Twins for Manufacturing Systems
• Computational Geometallurgy
• Advanced Alloy Design and Optimization

2. Research

The selected candidate will be expected to:

• Establish and maintain a nationally recognized, externally funded research program.
• Advance computational approaches for materials design, processing, characterization, and performance prediction.
• Conduct interdisciplinary research integrating experiments, modeling, simulation, and data analytics.
• Collaborate with faculty across engineering, science, and computing disciplines.
• Support research initiatives in advanced manufacturing, critical materials, aerospace, energy, defense, electronics, biomedical materials, and sustainability.
• Publish in high-impact journals and contribute to the department's national and international reputation.

Collaboration Opportunities

The position offers significant opportunities to collaborate with:

• Materials Science and Engineering (MASE) doctoral program faculty
• Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Institute for Applied AI Innovation
• Federal/State Agencies and National laboratories
• Government and defense agencies
• Advanced manufacturing and materials industries

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Computational Materials Science, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching and research.
• Ability to develop an externally funded research program.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expertise in computational methods for metallurgical systems.
• Experience with CALPHAD, DFT, molecular dynamics, phase-field methods, machine learning, or related computational approaches.
• Experience integrating computational and experimental materials research.
• Evidence of interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Track record of external funding and scholarly publications (especially for Associate Professor candidates).
• Interest in applications related to critical materials, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, energy, and mining.

In keeping with its access, excellence, and impact mission, The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all. We seek to attract faculty and staff who share our commitment.

The University of Texas at El Paso is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or sexual orientation and gender in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employee's or prospective employee's right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972. Inquiries-including the filing of a Formal Complaint or reporting an incident-about the application of Title IX may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, who can be reached by phone at (915) 747-8358, by email at titleix@utep.edu, or by mail at 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX, Kelly Hall, Room 312.

For accommodation information for employees and applicants with disabilities, please contact UTEP's Equal Opportunity Office at eoaa@utep.edu.

To the extent that this position involves research, work, or access to critical infrastructure as referenced in Executive Order GA-48, being hired for and continuing to be employed in this position requires the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.