Job Posting:
The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering (CEE) at Virginia Tech invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in
environmental engineering at the rank of Assistant Professor. We are seeking candidates motivated to
contribute to a collegial, interdisciplinary community in several core mission areas of the university.
The department has 53 faculty, and a current enrollment of 320 graduate students and 700 undergraduate
students. The department ranks 8 th and 9 th in undergraduate and graduate education, respectively, among
all U.S. civil and environmental engineering departments (USN&WR). With classroom and lab facilities
in Blacksburg, Virginia and the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory located in the National
Capital Region of Washington, D.C., the department is one of the largest civil and environmental
engineering programs in the U.S.
Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and
outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim
(That I May Serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT—serving in the spirit of community,
diversity, and excellence. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our
community in preparing leaders for the world. The mission of the College of Engineering, whose
undergraduate program ranks 13th and graduate program ranks 31st among all U.S. engineering schools
(USN&WR), is to educate and inspire our students to be critical thinkers, innovators and leaders. Our
core values are inclusiveness, excellence, integrity, perseverance and stewardship.
This faculty position will be filled at Virginia Tech's main campus, located in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Blacksburg, and the surrounding areas, are consistently ranked among the country's best places to live. In
addition, our program in the Washington, D.C. area offers unique proximity to government and industry
partners and is also expanding rapidly, with Virginia Tech’s exciting new Innovation Campus in
Alexandria, VA, slated to open in 2024. Additional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration across
the University and the College of Engineering, include the Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and
Arthropod-borne Pathogens (CeZAP), the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science
(ICTAS), and the Global Change Center. The Environmental and Water Resources (EWR) program has
excellent facilities to support research, education, and outreach initiatives. Further, the U.S. NSF
sponsored NanoEarth Center, the ICTAS supported Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication
Laboratory, the Fralin Life Science Institute, and the Advanced Research Computing (ARC) Center
provide access to centralized instrumentation and computational facilities. The Via Endowment allows
the CEE department to offer scholarships and fellowships to highly qualified students.
The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering or a closely
aligned field and a strong record of academic accomplishments commensurate with other early-career
applicants. We are seeking candidates with a strong record of academic accomplishments and a proven
ability to work collaboratively; experience with and commitment to interdisciplinary research and
instruction, and a willingness to expand disciplinary boundaries to address complex technical and societal
challenges. Contributing to the EWR Program, all areas of high impact research are of interest with
priority for environmental microbiology, biological process engineering, microbial risk assessment, and
green/sustainable engineering. Experience in the use of data analytics in the analysis of environmentally
relevant data streams is considered a plus. The capacity to obtain registration as a Professional Engineer
(PE) is desirable, but not required. The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal
conviction check as well as documentation of COVID-19 vaccination or exemption status.
Applicants must apply online at jobs.vt.edu (job number 517488): application materials include a cover
letter, curriculum vitae, a statement discussing teaching, research, and professional goals, a statement on contributions to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and contact
information for at least three references. Review of applications will
commence on November 1, 2021 and continue until the position is filled.
Questions regarding the position should be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Amy Pruden
(apruden@vt.edu) or (540- 231-6635).
The department fully embraces Virginia Tech’s commitment to increase faculty, staff, and student
diversity; to ensure a welcoming, affirming, safe, and accessible campus climate; to advance our research,
teaching, and service mission through inclusive excellence; and to promote sustainable transformation
through institutionalized structures. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation,
please contact Beth Lucas at blucas06@vt.edu.