Open Positions

Candidates with research programs that transcend the traditional boundaries of ECE may explore affiliated appointments in appropriate departments and divisions, such as Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Systems Engineering, or the newly created Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences.

BU ECE attracts exceptional undergraduate and graduate student and faculty talent at all levels. Research activity by primary faculty is approximately $26M per year. The College of Engineering is currently ranked 35th in the nation by US News and World Report, and 15th among private universities. The College is 5th in the nation in total funding from NSF among engineering schools at private universities. BU ECE faculty lead and participate in several high-profile, multidisciplinary research centers, including the Center for Information and Systems Engineering, the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering, the Center for Systems Neuroscience, the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Science and Engineering, and the Photonics Center.

All candidates pursuing basic or applied research in data science, machine learning, and AI will be considered. Candidates from underrepresented groups and candidates working in one or more of the following dimensions of AI are encouraged to apply:

(1) Foundations. Foundational research in the theories that enable the conceptualization, development, evaluation, and application of AI, including the exploration of connections with topics in areas such as philosophy, cognition, logic, algorithms, mathematics, statistics, biology, and physics.

(2) Methodologies. Supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement machine learning methods and platform of broad applicability, including deep neural networks, federated learning, scientific machine learning, natural language processing, large language models, and multimodal learning.

(3) Use-Inspired. AI research inspired by or tackling problems in areas beyond computing, including human-centered socio-technical systems, behavioral neuroscience, education, epistemology, communication, media, business, economics, ethics, law, public policy, regulatory compliance, and future of work.

BU expects excellence in teaching and in research, and is committed to building a culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse scholarly community, which is essential to its mission. BU is an AAU institution with a rich tradition of inclusion and social justice. We are proud of our record, including being the first American university to award a PhD to a woman and the university from which Martin Luther King Jr. received his PhD. We are dedicated to increasing participation of all talented students, especially women and other underrepresented groups in Computing and Data Sciences.

Qualifications required of all applicants include a PhD or equivalent degree; a strong record of research; a demonstrated capacity for cross-disciplinary collaboration; and a commitment to innovative teaching.

Qualified faculty candidates are invited to submit their application materials through the search web portal at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/25744, indicating which of the academic units participating in this cluster hiring initiative they would like to be considered for.

BU ECE attracts exceptional undergraduate and graduate student and faculty talent at all levels. Research activity by primary faculty is approximately $26M per year. The College of Engineering is currently ranked 35th in the nation by US News and World Report, and 15th among private universities. The College is 5th in the nation in total funding from NSF among engineering schools at private universities. BU ECE faculty lead and participate in several high-profile, multidisciplinary research centers, including the Center for Information and Systems Engineering, the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering, the Center for Systems Neuroscience, the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Science and Engineering, and the Photonics Center.

We seek candidates whose research interests align with one or more of the following areas:

1. Smart grid and sustainable power systems: Research on (i) smart power grids, including integration of distributed renewable generation, EV charging demands, and cyber-physical elements incorporation with the power grid, (ii) sustainable power or transportation networks for smart cities including their physical and economic interactions; (iii) grid interactive efficient buildings, incorporating energy efficiency and storage to manage peak demands and smart control architectures.
2. Negative emissions and industrial decarbonization: Research into (i) the development of greenhouse gas (i.e. CO2, CH4) capture, conversion and utilization including direct air capture and electrochemical conversion and upgrading; (ii) utilizing renewable energy sources for the decarbonization of energy intensive industries such as chemical, cement, steel, among others; (iii) novel materials and architectures for these technologies.
3. Sustainable electronics and computing: Research into (i) sustainable electronics that achieve orders of magnitude efficiency improvements for convergent applications such as biosensing, healthcare, augmented/virtual reality, or for the rapidly increasing carbon footprint of AI workloads, (ii) biodegradable electronics, and (iii) methods that capture the sustainability life cycle of electronics including manufacturing, emissions, reusability, or effective integration with harvesting and renewables.

This is a COE-wide search, and the candidate will have a primary appointment in either the Mechanical Engineering (ME) or Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) departments. Cross-cutting research interests leading to secondary appointment(s) in another ENG department, Physics, Chemistry, and/or a Division (Materials Science and Engineering or Systems Engineering) would be encouraged. Interactions with the Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS), the Center for Information and Systems Engineering (CISE) and/or the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering are encouraged. The COE believes that the cultural and social diversity of our faculty, staff, and students is vitally important to the distinction and excellence of our research and academic programs. To that end, we are especially eager to have a colleague who supports our institutional commitment to ensuring BU is inclusive, equitable, diverse, and a place where all constituents can thrive and join our ranks.

Leading Assistant Professor tenure-track candidates will hold a PhD in Engineering or a related field, and will be prepared to conduct a research program that would complement and enhance the strengths of the COE. Candidates will be expected to teach courses at the graduate and undergraduate level in their home department and in cross-college courses. We are explicitly looking for candidates who have an interest in the Societal Impact of their research.

For more information about BU and COE, please visit: http://www.bu.edu/eng/

To apply, please submit 1) a cover letter that describes how your research and teaching interests fit within the interdisciplinary mission of the College of Engineering, 2) a research statement, 3) CV, 4) a teaching statement, 5) a diversity statement discussing how you—through your teaching and/or scholarship—will contribute to our goals to engender a more inclusive and diverse college and 6) three letters of recommendation.

Applicants for the position must have a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field. Ideal candidates will have a track record of excellence in teaching.

Salary will be provided for the 9-month academic year. Possibilities of support in the summer include summer classes, and various outreach programs.

Instructional faculty in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department are expected to teach multiple courses per year (typically at least four) with multiple sections of the same course counting towards that total. These positions come with full benefits.

ECE at BU is a world-class department with excellent resources that is steadily gaining national and international prominence for its exceptional research and education record. ECE is part of BU’s rapidly growing and innovative College of Engineering, and currently consists of 47 faculty members, 325 graduate students, and 350 BS majors.

Beyond its research and academic activities, BU has a lively, urban campus situated along the banks of the Charles River in Boston’s historic Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood. The campus and surrounding areas offer limitless opportunities for recreational activities, from world-class art and performances to sporting events and fine dining.