Professor, School of Engineering

The School of Engineering at the Okanagan Campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC), invites applications for a tenure position at the rank of Professor. This position represents an outstanding opportunity to take on a senior faculty role at one of the world’s top universities and at a smaller, more nimble campus with excellent engagement with the community and wider region. Big thinking and bold ambitions are required to further support the Okanagan Campus toward even greater impact and service to the people and communities of British Columbia and beyond. The anticipated start date is January 1, 2022 or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

Applicants must hold a PhD in engineering or a related field and be registered, or be eligible to register, with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (www.egbc.ca). They will posses a strong track record of scholarly eminence including an independent, internationally recognized research program, excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, supervising and mentoring Master’s and Ph.D. students, and participation in academic and professional affairs.

The ideal candidate will have a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. As part of the University’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, UBC Okanagan has committed to supporting and implementing five key commitments, which can be found at https://ok.ubc.ca/about/indigenous-engagement/. The ideal candidate will therefore also have a strong commitment to indigenous engagement. 

Specific areas of interest may include: Renewable and Clean Energy Technologies; Micro/Nano-Fluidic, such as ‘Lab-on-a-chip’ for Biomedical Applications; and/or, Machine learning for flud mechanics.

Reporting to the Director of the School of Engineering, the successful candidate will be expected to lead an internationally recognized, innovative research program, participate in the teaching activities of the School, provide mentorship and training to undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate learners and provide service within the University and to both the academic and broader community. They will also be expected to demonstrate collaboration, leadership and work in interdisciplinary research areas with other established research clusters and laboratories within the School and more broadly across UBC.

UBC Okanagan is partnering with the executive search firm Perrett Laver on this search. Interested applicants should submit an application package consisting of: cover letter, curriculum vitae, a list of four arms-length references, a teaching statement, a research statement, and a diversity statement.

Details to include on research, teaching, and diversity statements:

Research Statement: Please include information about your research expertise and experience and about your research plan as a new faculty member, including as appropriate current and potential collaborators (at UBC and elsewhere) and sources of funding.

Teaching Statement: Your teaching statement should describe your teaching interests and experience. Also, explain your teaching philosophy, including specific examples that have informed the evolution of that teaching philosophy.

Diversity Statement: Please include a statement describing your experience working with and supporting a diverse student body and your contributions to creating/advancing a culture of equity and inclusion on campus or within your discipline.

Review of applications will begin on Friday, September 3, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled. Further information, including details of how to apply, can be downloaded at perrettlaver.com/candidates, quoting reference 5004.

UBC is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the 40 best universities in the world – and top 20 public universities. The University opened its Okanagan campus in 2005 as a bold new UBC presence in the interior of British Columbia, designed to deliver on the promise of a research-intensive institution purpose-built for the 21st century.  UBC Okanagan is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.

UBC’s Okanagan campus is home to over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 630 faculty members and nine Faculties and Schools. With the campus rapidly emerging as a research powerhouse, UBC Okanagan students receive an outstanding education in a stimulating student-centric learning environment.  Over the last five years, campus research income has more than doubled.  Success rates at the Canadian tri-councils (SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR) have consistently exceeded national averages. Faculty members have formal research partnerships with over 100 organizations (local non-profits, regional small and medium enterprises, national and multinational corporations, regional health authorities, hospitals, and municipalities), with activities on the UBC Okanagan Campus and in the Innovation UBC hub, which is located in downtown Kelowna in the Okanagan’s thriving tech ecosystem. In 2019, UBC Okanagan published Outlook 2040, a visioning exercise that positions the campus as one of Canada’s fastest growing post-secondary institutions.

UBC’s Faculty of Applied Sciences comprises a unique constellation of disciplines across both campuses. Our core purpose is to discover, design, innovate, provide unwavering top-tier education, and champion a community of responsible professionals. UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering is an integral part of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and is based in our Kelowna campus. Founded in 2005, the School is among the fastest growing post-secondary engineering programs in Canada and a premier destination for exceptional engineering education and research. Today, the School offers four undergraduate programs in civil, electrical, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering and three graduate degrees (MEng, MASc, PhD) that continue to respond to the demands of local, national, and global communities.

UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering has a tremendous impact on core and interdisciplinary research innovation and accelerated economic development in the region. The School has grown considerably over the last five years, with student numbers doubling to over 2,000 (1,700 undergraduate and 350 graduate). Our exceptional faculty (65 with expected growth to 75 by 2022) and staff (30+) have also doubled. Research income has increased three-fold in the same timeframe to over $17m.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

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