Department Head - Materials Science and Engineering

Job no: 538091
Work type: Teaching & Research Faculty
Senior management: College of Engineering
Department: Materials Science & Engineering
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Categories: Engineering

Job Description

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech invites applications and nominations for the position of Department Head. The successful candidate will be appointed as a tenured professor and a named professorship distinction is available. The selected Department Head will provide visionary, collaborative, and accountable leadership for a department with a strong tradition of research, education, and industry engagement.

The Department Head serves as a member of the College of Engineering leadership team reporting to the Dean and is the department's principal advocate to university leaders, alumni, industry, government sponsors, professional communities, and other external partners. The Department Head will lead the development and execution of a shared strategic vision with departmental faculty; foster excellence in research, education, mentoring, service, and outreach; steward departmental fundraising for resources; and build a culture in which faculty, staff, and students can thrive.

The next Department Head will build on MSE's distinctive strengths in hands-on education, materials innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Priority opportunities include advancing research, graduate education, and undergraduate education; growing undergraduate and graduate enrollment; strengthening industry, national laboratories, and alumni partnerships; broadening the department's visibility and impact; supporting faculty and staff success; and positioning MSE for leadership in advanced manufacturing, energy, microelectronics, health, national security, and sustainable materials.

About the Department
The Virginia Tech MSE department offers B.S., M.S., M.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees and is home to more than 20 faculty members whose expertise spans the development, manufacturing, characterization, testing, and application of advanced materials systems. Our research and educational programs encompass metals, ceramics and glasses, polymers, composites, electronic and optical materials, biomaterials, nuclear materials, nanomaterials, and computational materials science. The department is in the midst of an exciting period of growth and transformation as we redefine what materials science and engineering education, research, and impact should look like for the next generation of materials scientists and engineers. Building on our broad technical foundation, we are shaping a department positioned to address emerging challenges in energy, computing, national security, advanced manufacturing, sustainability, and other rapidly evolving areas where materials innovation will be essential. MSE's students benefit from a close-knit learning environment, extensive laboratory experiences, undergraduate research, internships and cooperative education, and a distinctive Engineering Communications Program. Faculty and students engage in fundamental and applied collaborative research across the university, with industry, and with government partners.

The MSE department is based in Holden Hall and has specialized characterization, processing, and synthesis laboratories as well as computational facilities in Hancock Hall, Whittemore Hall, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC), and the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry. These facilities support research, teaching, and engagement across the materials lifecycle. MSE also maintains a strong connection with Virginia Tech MADE, the university's center for advanced manufacturing, which brings together strengths in advanced materials, computational design, manufacturing technologies, data analytics, and cyber-infrastructure. In addition, the department has strong connections with the VT Center for Photonics and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, as well as robust interdisciplinary connections to many departments across multiple colleges at VT. The department is home to the Green Engineering Program.

Leadership Responsibilities
• Articulate and implement, with the department community, a compelling and actionable strategic vision aligned with the College of Engineering and Virginia Tech.
• Advance a culture of excellence, collegiality, belonging, transparency, professionalism, and shared responsibility among faculty, staff, and students.
• Build a connected and high-trust departmental community through visible, approachable, inclusive, and transparent leadership; develop shared ownership and emerging leaders across the faculty and staff; and make timely, accountable decisions that advance agreed-upon priorities.
• Provide effective academic and administrative leadership for personnel, promotion and tenure, mentoring, budget and resource management, facilities, and departmental operations.
• Champion high-quality, innovative undergraduate and graduate education, including hands-on learning, communication skills, student recruitment, retention, and career success.
• Strengthen the department's research enterprise, support interdisciplinary initiatives, and grow partnerships and resources through industry engagement, alumni relations, philanthropy, and sponsored research.
• Expand external resources through strategic partnerships with industry, alumni, government, and philanthropic supporters, while raising MSE's visibility as a university and national hub for materials science and engineering.
• Represent and strongly advocate for MSE effectively within the College, university, professional communities, and external stakeholder networks.
• Recruit, retain, develop, and recognize outstanding faculty and staff; promote the success and well-being of all members of the department.

Required Qualifications
• Ph.D. in materials science and engineering or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated academic, administrative, or equivalent leadership experience, including the ability to set priorities, make sound decisions, and lead change.
• Professional accomplishments and experience consistent with appointment as a tenured Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech.

Preferred Qualifications
• A record of building consensus, communicating clearly and transparently, and bringing diverse perspectives together around shared goals.
• Success in mentoring faculty, staff, and students and in developing collaborative, high-performing teams.
• Experience with financial and personnel management, strategic planning, fundraising, and/or stewardship of complex academic or research operations.
• Commitment to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and supportive community.
• Evidence of productive partnerships with industry, government, alumni, professional organizations, and/or interdisciplinary research communities.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with Experience

Hours per week

40 plus

Review Date

December 1, 2026 - open until filled

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Advertised: October 5, 2026
Applications close:

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