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Assistant/Associate Professor - Manufacturing Systems
DEPARTMENT OF WOOD SCIENCE AND FOREST PRODUCTS
The Department of Wood Science and Forest Products at Virginia Tech is seeking applications for the position of assistant/associate professor in the area of manufacturing systems. Virginia Tech has strong academic programs in wood science, marketing, business & operations management, and industrial engineering as related to this position. We seek a candidate who would develop and apply systems engineering innovations to effectively interface across our existing programs to support domestically competitive and sustainable wood products manufacturing businesses for the future.
Position Description: The tenure-track position will be at the Assistant/Associate Professor level and will be a calendar year appointment. The position will have responsibilities in extension programming and industry outreach (75%) and teaching/research (25%). The successful candidate is expected to work with the Virginia forest products industry and support programming focused on competitiveness of the industry. In addition, responsibilities will include development, delivery, and provider of educational programs and training of Cooperative Extension agents to address manufacturing competitiveness needs of the industry and as might be supported through actions of the Cooperative Extension network of Specialists and Agents. The successful candidate will develop an internationally recognized extension and research program in manufacturing systems as related to the wood processing sector, that could include focus areas such as (but not limited to) lean/high-performance manufacturing, rapid prototyping technologies, statistical process control, Six-Sigma, business management, logistics, and supply chain management. Teaching responsibilities will initially include one undergraduate course in secondary processing. The successful candidate will also become a core faculty member of the new 'Student Manufacturing Enterprise Initiative' in the department. The Manufacturing Enterprise Initiative is envisioned to become a real-world experiential learning environment for students that focuses on bringing a product to the marketplace. There will be extension, outreach, teaching and research opportunities in collaboration with the Wood-Based Composites Center, the Sustainable Engineered Materials Institute, the Center for Forest Products Marketing and Management, the Center for Unit Load Design, the Sloan Forest Industries Center at Virginia Tech and in other colleges and academic units on the Virginia Tech campus. The position provides excellent opportunities to develop a strong interdisciplinary program with other researchers in the department and on the Virginia Tech campus. The successful candidate will be expected to work directly with the Virginia forest products manufacturing sector, obtain extramural funding, publish in refereed journals, participate in local, regional and national meetings of professional societies, serve as major professor for graduate students, and serve on graduate committees. Cooperation and collaboration with other scientists in the department and across our campus is expected. We seek to seamlessly integrate a leading manufacturing extension effort with contemporary research and undergraduate and graduate education. The successful candidate will have opportunities and expectations to work collaboratively with other Specialists in the department, and other faculty engaged in leading manufacturing and business management activities. The position reports administratively to the Head of the department.
Qualifications: Candidates will have a Ph.D. in wood science, biological systems engineering, industrial and systems engineering, management, statistics, or closely allied fields, with demonstrated experience and/or expressed interest in manufacturing systems addressing the forest industries sector. Candidates nearing degree completion will be considered given that degree completion is a requirement for continued employment once hired. The successful candidate must be able to communicate effectively with people at all levels in university, industry and private sectors. Candidates at the Associate Professor level must have a demonstrated track record of success in extension or research, including the ability to articulate a coherent extension and/or research agenda and to identify potential funding sources to support such activities.
Preferred Qualifications: In addition to the above required qualifications, the candidate would have history of collaboration with colleagues on and off campus, experience reaching out to business, industry and government agencies and ability to be a good departmental, college, and university citizen; collegiality.
Application: Application materials should include a current vitae, official transcripts for all degrees at all institutions, the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of five professional references. The applicant should address his or her interest in the position by preparing a written statement of interest that addresses the matching of personal skills and education with the position description. All materials must be submitted electronically with exception of official transcripts, which must be mailed. Submit on-line at www.jobs.vt.edu, referring to posting No. 061340. Review of candidate files will begin January 22, 2007 and continue until a suitable candidate is identified.
Inquiries: Dr. Earl Kline, Professor and Search Committee Chair
Department of Wood Science and Forest Products
College of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech - Brooks Forest Products Center (0503)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone 540-231-8841 or email kline@vt.edu
Virginia Tech is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and has a strong commitment to the principle of diversity and, in that spirit, seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including women, minorities, and people with disabilities. Virginia Tech is the recipient of the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award to increase the participation of women in academic science and engineering careers. Individuals with disabilities desiring accommodations in the application process or needing this material in an alternate format should notify Debbie Garnand, Department of Wood Science and Forest Products at 540-231-8853 or email at garnandd@vt.edu.
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