Assistant Professor - Mechanical Engineering
The University of California, Berkeley
About this position
Position Overview
Position title: Assistant Professor Salary range: The current salary range for this position is $111,400 - $163,200 (9-month academic year salary); however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions. Anticipated start: July 1, 2027 or a later, mutually agreed-upon date.
Application Deadline
Open date: September 29, 2026 Next review date:Monday, Nov 9, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee. Final date: Monday, Nov 9, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.
Position Description
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley seeks applicants for three tenure-track faculty positions at the Assistant Professor level. This search covers multiple areas of critical need in Mechanical Engineering (ME) as well as its nexus with Aerospace Engineering (AE). We seek candidates that can develop and lead a vibrant research program that will advance the department’s efforts to address society’s grand challenges, as well as provide instructional excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. Priority areas for this search include: Combustion, reacting flows, propulsion, hypersonics, thermal management at all scales, and energy technologies for sustainability. Dynamics and structural mechanics, acoustics, dynamical systems, astrodynamics/orbital mechanics, and other topics at the ME-AE nexus such as aerospace systems engineering, spacecraft/mission design, space debris management, and remote sensing. All qualified applicants whose work supports contemporary topics in any of these priority areas will be considered. The Department of Mechanical Engineering is part of the College of Engineering in the University of California, Berkeley, a premier public university. The Mechanical Engineering undergraduate and PhD programs are both consistently ranked among the top programs nationwide, attracting talented and diverse students and researchers. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the foremost technology hub in the United States, the ME department has strong connections with many of the world’s leading companies in a variety of industries. Many of our faculty similarly benefit from affiliations and strong collaborations with a variety of pre-eminent research centers nearby. Of particular relevance for this search are our connections and opportunities with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its Energy Technologies Area, UC Berkeley’s new initiative in Energy, Climate, and Environment, the Richmond Field Station, the Berkeley Air & Space Center at NASA Ames, the Space Sciences Lab, and the College of Engineering’s rapidly developing Aerospace Engineering program. UC Berkeley values the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples, single parents, or those who may have taken time off for family reasons. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit the Office for Faculty Equity and Welfare's website. Department: https://me.berkeley.edu/ Program: https://aero.berkeley.edu/
Qualifications
Basic qualifications(required at time of application)Applicants must have a PhD (or equivalent international degree), or be enrolled in a PhD-granting program (or equivalent international degree) at the time of application.
Application Requirements
Document requirementsCurriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. Cover Letter - Please introduce yourself as a candidate, summarizing your accomplishments in research, teaching, mentoring, and service, and highlighting synergies between your research interests and ongoing work in the department or campus. Research Statement - Please discuss research accomplishments including significant publications or other research products. Highlight the originality, creativity, and significance of your work in the field, as well as broader impacts, or potential impacts, of this work. Describe a compelling vision of your research to be conducted in the next 5-10 years with an emphasis on how you will establish a successful, extramurally-funded program aligned with critical needs areas of the department. Describe any applicable synergies with collaborators or resources at UC Berkeley or the surrounding ecosystem. (Suggested length: 3-5 pages) Teaching, Mentoring, and Service Statement - Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests, including specific efforts and plans to support the growth of students through curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Discuss experience and plans for mentoring and outreach. Candidates may also share any past efforts and future plans to foster equitable and inclusive learning, inside and/or outside the classroom. Discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities. For more information, refer to Faculty Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. (Suggested length: 2-3 pages) Publications - Upload at least one and up to three publications as a single PDF. Authorization to Release Information Form - An institutional reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the Authorization to Release Information form.. This Authorization Form is required of all applicants at the time of application. Reference requirements 3 required (contact information only) Please provide names and contact information for three professional references. We will only contact your references to request letters if you are advanced to the second round of review for the position, and we will inform you when letter requests are sent out Apply link:https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05542 Help contact:me-ap@berkeley.edu