Tenure Track Engineering Faculty Positions, Space Engineering and Instrument Development Center

The University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UH Manoa) College of Engineering invites applications for up to two new tenure-track engineering faculty positions as part of a Ground-Based Astronomy and Instrumentation Engineering Support Center being launched this year in collaboration with the Institute for Astronomy. The Center is part of a broader Space Science and Engineering initiative at UH Manoa that recognizes Hawai'i’s unique geography, cultural positioning, and leadership in the growing fields of ground-based astronomy, space flight, and exploration, and seeks to broaden the university’s capabilities in these fields.

Center faculty members will provide operational and research expertise to directly support ground-based observatory needs. These new faculty positions are based in Honolulu on the UH Manoa campus and expected to begin August 1, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. They are part of an initial faculty cohort forming the core of a multidisciplinary, multi-island engineering team. The openings are general fund, full-time, tenure track positions. Given their role within a highly collaborative team environment and the expectation of a minimum 50% research assignment, they are 11-month positions at the UH Manoa faculty rank of Assistant Professor (F3).

Each faculty position will contribute to engineering research, teaching and service relevant to the Center. This initial cohort provides direct support of ground-based activities for observatory operations including—but not limited to—detectors, high-speed electronics, cryogenic and thermal management systems, optics, adaptive optics and photonics, prototyping, materials and manufacturing, instrumentation and control systems, and systems engineering.

Specifically, applicants are sought in each of the following areas of expertise as they pertain to ground-based astronomy instrumentation:
 

• Systems Engineering
• Instrumentation and Control Systems
• Materials and Advanced Manufacturing Engineering

This significant, large-scale initiative places an emphasis on a collaborative approach to both research and education, focusing on hands-on-learning, teamwork, complementary technical expertise, and system-level multidisciplinary thinking. It will serve to expand Hawai'i’s local high-tech workforce by utilizing and leveraging existing observatory facilities on Maunakea and Haleakala as platforms for new instrumentation and technology development, facility innovation, and proving grounds for operational upgrades and advancement. The cohort will serve as a dedicated engineering team to develop technical proposals, write grant applications, and perform engineering design tasks both at UH Manoa facilities as well as the Center home on the UH Hilo (UHH) campus.  Additionally, the faculty cohort will develop and deliver courses of importance in relevant disciplines to UH Manoa and/or UHH. Center faculty will have access to well-equipped laboratories and machine shop facilities. Available computer facilities are extensive, including the Maui High-Performance Computing Center and state-of-the-art multimedia computer instructional laboratories.

Progress and achievement of each faculty member will be measured not only by their individual accomplishments, but by their contributions to the success of the overall team and of the Engineering Center, as well.