Assistant Teaching Professor

JOB TITLE
Assistant Teaching Professor

LOCATION
Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME
Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering

DIVISION NAME
Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) invites applications for a full-time Assistant Teaching Professor in intelligent construction and infrastructure systems with a broad focus on sensing, automation, and computational technologies that are reshaping how civil infrastructure is built, monitored, managed.

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.

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 [redacted] .

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
United States of America (Exempt)