Assistant​/Associate Professor of Pratice

Summary

The Materials Science and Engineering Department at Virginia Tech is seeking an Assistant/Associate Professor of Practice to serve as the Director of the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry. The position includes teaching metallurgy and metal casting classes, managing daily operations of the Foundry, and promoting student involvement with related professional societies.

• Teach 4 to 6 metallurgy and metal casting courses per semester.
• Develop new courses when appropriate.
• Mentor senior design projects related to metal casting.
• Participate on department and college committees as required by the Department Head.

• Serve as the Virginia Tech Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) Key Professor.
  • Manage FEF discretionary and scholarship funding.
  • Chair the Virginia Tech FEF Foundry Industrial Advisory Board.
  • Attend FEF Key Professor meetings and the annual FEF‑College Industry Conference, selecting students to represent Virginia Tech.
• Chair the Virginia Tech Foundry Safety Committee and liaise with the Virginia Tech Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Department.
• Maintain the foundry EHS Safety Management System.
• Serve as the Foundry Building Emergency Coordinator (BEC).
• Procure all foundry supplies (sand, binder, metal, expendable materials, compressed gases, etc.).
• Perform routine maintenance on equipment and ensure proper inspection (annual crane, biennial air compressor).
• Act as First Responder for accidents at the foundry (trained in CPR/AED/First Aid).
• Promote student attendance at metallurgy conferences such as ASM IMAT, AFS Metal casting Congress, AFS Piedmont Chapter meetings, AFS Regional meetings, AIST Southeast Member Chapter annual meeting, AISTech, TMS Annual Conference, MS&T Conference.
• Promote student participation in competitions such as ASM Domesday, SFSA Cast‑In‑Steel, AFS Regional casting competitions, FEF‑IJMC Undergraduate Student Research competitions, AIST Undergraduate Student Research competitions, ICI student casting competitions, TMS Bladesmithing competition.
• Write letters of recommendation for undergraduate and graduate students (scholarships, internships, employment).
• Handle yearly Magma software donation: complete paperwork, attend the annual Magma North American User Group meeting, and select student attendees.

• Liaise with professional societies (AFS, AIST, ASM International, TMS).
• Serve as faculty advisor to the American Foundry Society Student Chapter at Virginia Tech.
• Participate in outreach activities such as Open Foundry Days, C‑Tech^2, Women’s Preview Weekend, and College of Engineering recruitment events.

• Identify and explore interdisciplinary research opportunities with faculty.
• Advise undergraduate and graduate student research.

• Master’s Degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering/Technology, Manufacturing Technology, or a related discipline (PhD preferred).
• Knowledge of induction, resistance, arc, and cupola melting processes.
• Knowledge of production of aluminum, copper, zinc, iron (gray, ductile), and steel alloys.
• Knowledge of bonded sand, investment shell, and 3-D printed sand molding.
• Exemplary teaching abilities.

• Experience working in an industrial foundry.
• Level 1 training in Magmasoft.
• Experience with computational materials modeling software such as Thermo Calc.
• Interest in mechanical testing.
• Environmental, Health, and Safety training including Chemical Safety, PPE Awareness, Fire and Life Safety, Lockout‑Tagout, Silica Awareness, Respiratory Protection, Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety, Hand and Power Tool Safety, Fall Protection, Ladder Safety, Powered Industrial Truck Training, Crane Safety, Machine Shop Safety, Confined Space Awareness, CPR/AED/First Aid, Laboratory Hazardous Waste training, Hazard Assessment, HAZCOM RTK training.