Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering)

Location: Laredo, Texas, United States; regular on-campus and workplace attendance required

Company

A Hispanic-Serving public university developing a new Civil Engineering program and expanding its School of Engineering faculty.

What you will do

• Establish an independent, externally funded research program in geotechnical engineering.
• Contribute to the development of the geotechnical engineering laboratory.
• Teach lectures and laboratories in geotechnical engineering, foundation design, slopes, and retaining structures.
• Mentor student research and senior design projects.
• Teach other Civil Engineering and engineering courses as needed.
• Support recruitment, future ABET accreditation preparation, academic service, and partnerships with academia, industry, and government.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline by the appointment start date; candidates nearing completion may be considered if the degree is awarded before appointment.
• Demonstrated expertise in geotechnical engineering through research, scholarship, professional experience, or a combination thereof.
• Ability to teach geotechnical engineering, foundation design, and slopes and retaining structures in lecture and laboratory formats.
• Ability to establish an independent research program and mentor student research.
• Ability to work on campus and in the workplace on a regular schedule with face-to-face interactions.
• Professional Engineer licensure or progress toward it, such as FE/EIT, is highly desirable.

Nice to have

• Experience developing a geotechnical laboratory.
• Experience pursuing external funding and building industry or government partnerships.
• Expertise in advanced site characterization, field monitoring, foundations, soil-structure interaction, sustainable ground improvement, geosynthetics, climate-resilient geotechnics, energy geotechnics, or computational and data-driven geomechanics.

Culture & Benefits

• Tenure-track, nine-month faculty appointment with a reduced teaching load to support research development.
• Health insurance, retirement benefits, and life insurance.
• Additional pay available for summer teaching.
• Financial support for professional development and academic conference attendance.
• Moving expenses covered in whole or in part by the university.

Hiring process

• Submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, three professional references, research statement, and teaching statement.
• Application review begins October 30, 2026, and continues until the position is filled.
• Employment is contingent on credential verification and completion of a criminal history investigation.