Assistant Teaching Professor

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JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The scope of interest spans the full asset lifecycle: robotics and automation on the construction site, uncrewed aerial systems and reality capture, instrumented and self-sensing structures, digital twins, and data-driven approaches to inspection, condition assessment, and asset management. Construction faces persistent labor shortages and schedule/cost pressure, while existing infrastructure stock ages and decarbonization pressures become more urgent. WPI seeks an educator who can prepare civil, architectural, and construction engineering students to work fluently with the technologies now being deployed against those problems and who will build a distinctive, hands-on curriculum and laboratory experience around them.

This is a career-track teaching appointment with a clear path for promotion to Associate Teaching Professor and Teaching Professor. Teaching faculty at WPI are full voting members of the faculty and play a central role in curricular leadership.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsibilities:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in areas such as construction automation and robotics; UAS and reality capture; sensing, instrumentation, and structural health monitoring; digital twins and BIM-integrated workflows; applied machine learning and computer vision for the built environment; and data-driven infrastructure asset management, scheduling, cost, productivity, and safety analytics.

• Develop new courses and laboratory modules that give students direct experience with robotic platforms, drones, sensing hardware, field data collection, and modern computational tools.

• Advise and mentor students in WPI’s project-based curriculum, including Major Qualifying Projects (MQP), Interactive Qualifying Projects (IQP), and graduate capstone work.

• Contribute to the design and stewardship of laboratory, maker, and field-testing facilities supporting instrumented and automated construction and infrastructure work.

• Build and maintain relationships with contractors, owners, infrastructure agencies, and technology firms so that instruction reflects current and emerging practice.

• Participate in departmental service, student recruiting and retention, curriculum assessment and ABET accreditation activities, and outreach.

Required Qualifications:

• An earned doctorate by the appointment start date in civil, architectural, construction, mechanical, or robotics engineering; computer science; or a closely related field.

• Demonstrated technical depth in at least two of the following, with the ability to teach in both: construction robotics and automation; UAS/drone operations and reality capture; sensing, instrumentation, and structural health monitoring; digital twins and BIM-integrated workflows; applied machine learning or computer vision for the built environment; data-driven infrastructure asset management and condition assessment.

• Clear anchoring in civil, architectural, or construction engineering practice. The successful candidate will be able to connect computational and robotic methods to real construction operations, structural behavior, or infrastructure management, not to treat the built environment solely as an application domain.

• Evidence of, or clear potential for, excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching.

• Commitment to hands-on, project-based, and experiential instruction.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior university-level teaching experience, including course and laboratory development.

• Professional experience in the construction industry, with an infrastructure owner or agency, or in a construction technology firm.

• Experience deploying robotic, sensing, or autonomous systems in field conditions

• Working fluency with relevant tooling: Python and modern ML frameworks, ROS, photogrammetry and LiDAR processing, sensor networks and data acquisition, BIM and computational design platforms, or construction and asset management software.

• Experience building industry partnerships, sponsored student projects, or continuing education and workforce development programs.

• A record of mentoring students from a range of backgrounds and preparing them to work on diverse teams.

About the Department and WPI

WPI is a global leader in project-based learning. Its distinctive undergraduate curriculum requires every student to complete substantial team-based projects addressing real problems for real stakeholders, often at one of WPI’s project centers around the world. Courses are delivered in an intensive seven-week term structure that supports focused, immersive instruction.

CEAE offers ABET-accredited undergraduate programs and graduate degrees spanning civil engineering, construction project management, environmental engineering, and architectural engineering. The department is investing in the technologies that will define the next generation of infrastructure practice, and this position is central to that direction. The successful candidate will also find natural collaborators across WPI in robotics engineering, data science, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science.

Worcester, Massachusetts is New England’s second-largest city, with a growing innovation economy, a substantial construction and real estate development sector, and easy access to Boston, Providence, and Hartford.

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted through WPI’s online application system and include:

• A cover letter describing the candidate’s interest in and fit for the position.
• A curriculum vitae.
• A statement of teaching philosophy and interests (2 pages maximum), including courses the candidate would be prepared to teach and one or two new courses or laboratory experiences they would propose to develop.
• Names and contact information for three professional references. References will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission.

Review of applications will begin Jan 1, 2027, and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries may be directed to Prof. Nima Rahbar at [email protected] .

Compensation

Salary: $80,000 - $85,000 per year. Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity. WPI’s benefits package includes a robust retirement match, wellness perks, tuition assistance and more!

FLSA STATUS

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.