About this role

About the Opportunity

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.

Our locations—in Arlington; Boston; Charlotte, North Carolina; London; Miami; New York City; Oakland; Portland, Maine; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Toronto; Vancouver; and the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant—are nodes in our growing global university system. Through this network, we expand opportunities for flexible, student-centered learning and collaborative, solutions-focused research.

Northeastern’s comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs— in a variety of on-campus and online formats—lead to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. Among these, we offer more than 195 multi-discipline majors and degrees designed to prepare students for purposeful lives and careers.

About CEE and COE at Northeastern University: The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Northeastern University has a faculty of more than 40 members (several with joint appointments with other colleges) pursuing use-inspired research in structures, urban coastal systems, urban transportation and mobility, construction management, air quality, wind energy, water quality, environmental health, resilience, sustainability and climate change, life cycle assessment, green infrastructure, urban informatics, and robotics. CEE sits within Northeastern's College of Engineering (COE) , a leader in experiential education and interdisciplinary research focused on innovating for global impact, anchored by Northeastern's signature cooperative education program and R1 research rating. The college enrolls more than 10,000 students pursuing BS, MS, and PhD degrees and includes more than 450 faculty. COE leads four university-wide research institutes while partnering in ten more and brings together researchers from a global network of campuses and partners.

About the Opportunity:

As part of a strategic initiative, coordinated across the university under the broad theme of Physical AI, Robotics & Autonomous Systems , the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Northeastern University seeks faculty candidates for tenured or tenure-track appointments at the assistant, associate, or full professor ranks.

The university-wide Physical AI, Robotics & Autonomous Systems theme brings together researchers working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and the physical world to build systems that sense, reason, and act in real-world environments. The theme spans intelligent infrastructure and adaptive construction and manufacturing; embodied and wearable AI and human-robot collaboration; automated laboratories for chemistry, materials, and biomanufacturing; AI-enabled telepresence; and physical AI applications in health. Within this theme, the position focuses on Intelligent infrastructure, construction and manufacturing; adaptive robotics & digital twins. The position draws on cross-college collaboration among the College of Engineering, Khoury College of Computer Sciences, the College of Arts, Media and Design, and the College of Science. It is further strengthened by Northeastern's recently launched Physical AI Research (PAIR) Initiative, by the Institute for Experiential Robotics (IER), and by the Institute for Experiential AI (EAI).

Appointments will be primarily or fully in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) within Northeastern University’s College of Engineering, with opportunities for joint cross-college appointments with the College of Arts, Media and Design, the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, or the College of Science. The position will be based primarily on Northeastern University’s Boston campus.

Candidates with interest in joint appointments with other departments or colleges should indicate their intent in their application materials in the cover letter.

For this position we seek candidates who will leverage advances in AI, automation, digital twins, and sensing to transform construction and construction management; innovate in infrastructure systems adaptation, operations, control, and inspection; and advance human-robot collaboration. The term infrastructure systems refers to all aspects of the built environment (such as dams and reservoirs, buildings and bridges, transportation systems and water distribution networks, energy systems). Candidates working broadly in these fields are encouraged to apply, but example areas of interest include:

- Construction automation and construction management: AI-enabled construction management for planning, resource allocation, and on-site decision support; infrastructure robotic fabrication and assembly, automated inspection, and site-scale sensing and control; autonomy in complex and dynamic construction environments under uncertainty; AI-enabled digital twins for construction; human-robot interaction for construction and infrastructure focusing on safe and adaptive teaming between people and autonomous systems; human-in-the-loop control; multimodal and wearable sensing; transforming the design and construction methods that are required to effectively reuse structures and/or materials.

- Physical AI for infrastructure materials: Discovery and/or characterization of novel materials for construction and infrastructure maintenance; repurposing of materials to improve the sustainability and resilience of infrastructure systems; transforming the design and construction methods that are required to effectively use new materials.

- Autonomous mobility: Autonomous vehicle control and trajectory planning; mixed traffic with fleets of autonomous vehicles; AI-enabled planning, operations, and control of urban mobility systems for sustainability and resilience; transportation of people and goods through connected vehicles, intelligent infrastructure, and new types of services.

Our recruitment initiatives at Northeastern are dedicated to fostering education and research across disciplinary boundaries. We aim to create a transformative signature effort at the interface of infrastructure systems, AI, automation, and robotics. Candidates are expected to demonstrate the potential to sustain a research program with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary and translational research and teach both undergraduate and graduate classes. They should also exhibit active and recognized leadership in their respective fields.

The ideal candidate will be able to leverage Northeastern’s expertise and facilities in high-performance computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, human-system interaction, network science, sensing, large-scale structural testing, materials manufacturing, materials characterization, as well as opportunities enabled by Northeastern’s global network while bringing new strengths in one or more of the above areas. We encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, including academia and industry.

Our tenure and promotion process values collaborative research and teamwork. Hires will be mentored for success, with mentoring teams and group guidance. In addition, a strong and effective faculty development strategy is part of the Northeastern institutional mission. The ADVANCE Office of Faculty Development office works in conjunction with the Office of Research Development (ORD), the Office of Belonging, the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (CATLR), and University Decision Support (UDS) to provide programs and trainings to further develop and support a thriving faculty.

Responsibilities:

Tenure-track faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are responsible for: teaching courses at the graduate and undergraduate level; developing vigorous research programs that attract external funding; advising, mentoring, and overseeing students and post-doctoral associates in their area of research; and participating in service to the department, university, and discipline. Candidates are encouraged to collaborate with other departments and colleges across the university on interdisciplinary research.

Candidates should be committed to promoting experiential learning, which is central to a Northeastern University education and be prepared to work with global student populations.

Qualifications:

A Ph.D. degree, or foreign equivalent, in civil engineering, environmental engineering or a related field is required by the employment start date. Senior-level candidates at the Associate and Full Professor levels should have a demonstrated record of developing transformative solutions to global challenges, sustaining a research program with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary and translational research, teaching both undergraduate and graduate classes, and being an active, recognized leader nationally and internationally in their discipline.

Applicants at the Associate level should have at least 4 years of academic or equivalent experience (e.g., industry, research) and at the Full Professor level at least 8 years or equivalent experience (e.g., industry, research).

How to apply: Interested candidates should apply using the Northeastern University website. In the cover letter applicants should indicate their theme of interest as Intelligent infrastructure, construction and manufacturing; adaptive robotics & digital twins . Applicants may also identify a department of interest for a joint secondary appointment within the College of Engineering or other colleges.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, as they arrive. The review is expected to start immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Applications must include the following:

- Cover letter
- Full curriculum vita
- Statement of Research Interests, Objectives, & Vision
- Statement of Teaching Interests & Philosophy
- A representative journal paper
- Statement of Leadership
- Names and contact information for at least three professional references

Successful faculty at Northeastern will be dynamic and innovative scholars with a record of research and teaching excellence and a commitment to fostering belonging in the university community. Thus, strong candidates for this faculty position will have the expertise, knowledge, and skills to build their research, pedagogy, and curriculum in ways that reflect and enhance this commitment. Please indicate how your expertise, knowledge, and skills have prepared you to contribute to this work with written statements addressing the following prompts:

Statement of Research Interests, Objectives, Vision, and Service: Please describe the focus of your research, including the questions you have identified, any funding you have received to support the work, the results you have discovered, and the products of these efforts. Please also describe any research you have undertaken with students and/or the external community. Please outline the research directions you foresee pursuing as a faculty member, including any cross-disciplinary and collaborative aspects. Finally, discuss your involvement with the scientific community in your area and your service to the profession and your future plans of engaging with the profession.

Statement of Teaching Interests & Philosophy: Please summarize your past instructional and mentorship experiences, your pedagogical philosophy, your plans/goals for teaching (including existing and proposed courses), and your strategies for teaching and mentoring a diverse cohort of undergraduate and graduate students.

Statement of Leadership (1 page): Please describe your past experiences and activities and/or your future plans detailing your leadership style, how you intend to cultivate a culture that promotes a sense of belonging, including fostering a free and open exchange of ideas and managing different perspectives to help others strengthen their practice.

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff. Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Position Type

Academic

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

Pay Range:
Assistant Professor: $106,000.00 - $121,000.00 | Associate Professor: $123,000.00 - $141,000.00 | Professor: $138,000.00 - $207,000.00

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.