Assistant or Associate Professor - Sustainable Energy and Chemicals

The William A Brookshire Department of Chemical Engineering in the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston (UH) seeks to hire a tenure-track or tenured faculty members at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor under the Presidential Frontier Faculty Program with research interests in the area of Sustainable Energy and Chemicals with research interests in the area of Polymer Circularity.
The Presidential Frontier Faculty Program is a university-wide integrated interdisciplinary hiring campaign that is overseen by central University leadership and encompasses hiring a large cohort of convergence research faculty to work on health, energy, sustainability, and security. Competitive candidates are expected to have a Ph.D. degree when they start their position and show potential for exceptional research and excellence in teaching and service. The successful candidates will be appointed at a rank commensurate with accomplishments and expertise.
We are particularly seeking faculty candidates who will develop an externally-funded research program aimed at overcoming grand challenges in the broad field of Polymer Circularity, such as polymer recycling, upcycling and reuse; polymers derived from sustainable feedstocks (e.g., biobased resources, natural gas, waste resources including CO2), green chemistry approaches to polymers; (bio)degradable polymers; fate of plastics in the environment including microplastics; design of polymers for reduced environmental footprint; life cycle and technoeconomic analyses; sustainable production of chemicals for plastics; and other related areas. Desirable areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, Advanced Materials, Polymer Physics, Polymer Chemistry, Catalysis and Reactor Design, Transport Phenomena, Molecular Thermodynamics, and Circular Economy. The Department has 23 tenured and tenure-track faculty, modern research facilities, annual research expenditures exceeding $10 million, and a strong and growing graduate program with more than 100 PhD students. The successful candidate will join a collegial group of research-oriented faculty working in a highly collaborative environment and be part of the prestigious Presidential Frontier Faculty network.
UH is a Carnegie Tier 1 Public Research University with an umbrella organization, UH Energy (https://www.uh.edu/uh-energy/ ), that manages energy- and sustainability-related research and education. The UH Energy Transition Institute (ETI) was recently established with a leading gift from Shell and additional gifts and matching funds that currently exceed $52 million (https://stories.uh.edu/2022-energy-transition-institute/ ). The ETI has three central focuses of Carbon Management, Hydrogen Economy, and Circular Plastics. UH is strategically located in Houston, the Energy Capital of the world and home to some of the largest petrochemical industries. UH is also home to several other research institutes, including the Welch Catalyst for Discovery Center on Polymer Circularity, Welch Center of Excellence in Polymer Chemistry, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute (https://hpedsi.uh.edu/ ) and the Advanced Manufacturing Institute (https://ami.uh.edu/ ), to name a few. 
UH is one of the most ethnically diverse major research Universities in the United States. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. Students come to UH from more than 137 nations and from across the world. UH is also an ADVANCE institution, one of a select group of Universities receiving funding from the National Science Foundation in support of its commitment to increase the number and success of women faculty in STEM fields. 
The Houston Metropolitan Area offers excellent quality of living and a vibrant arts and entertainment scene propelled by a growing economy. Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest in the world, and has a broad industrial base in Energy, Chemicals, Materials, Aeronautics, and Medical Technologies offering additional opportunities for collaborative research. 
A complete application consists of: (1) a cover letter; (2) Curriculum Vitae; (3) a detailed description of research interests (not to exceed 5 pages); (4) a statement of education, discussing teaching interests and experience and mentoring experience (not to exceed 2 pages); (5) three representative publications; and (6) the name and contact information (email address and phone number) of three professional references whom we may contact. Review of applications will begin by November 15, 2023, and applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. The position is available effective September 1, 2024.  
The University of Houston is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Additionally, the University prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
The University of Houston is responsive to the needs of dual-career couples.
For more information, please contact the search committee co-chair:
Professor Megan Robertson
William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
http://www.chee.uh.edu/
E-mail:   [email protected]
Links to input in online job boards: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering:   http://www.chee.uh.edu/about/open-positions
Petroleum Engineering: http://www.uh.edu/human-resources/careers/  

Candidates must have demonstrated records of scholarship. We favor candidates who have earned at least one petroleum engineering degree, preferably a Ph.D. PhD in Engineering is required. Interdisciplinary experience is a plus.