Professor of Practice, Civil and Environmental Engineering - Futures Focus

Engineering a world of possibilities

The Earth and Society Programs Portfolio at Colorado School of Mines invites applications for a Professor of Practice in the Futures core curriculum, with an anticipated start in Fall 2026. We seek an individual with significant industrial experience and a creative instructor whose work complements and expands our strengths in this unique Signature Student Experience program and who will have the potential to contribute to additional Mines initiatives especially around industry partnerships, earth and environmental engineering and societal applications, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Professor of Practice will be an outstanding educator and entrepreneur who inspires students and engages in modern pedagogical approaches and applications, while embodying and advancing the University’s commitment to preparing students for success in their time at Mines and beyond. Candidates excited about contributing to Mines innovative Futures curriculum are encouraged to apply. Faculty in this position will be expected to teach in 3 sections of the Futures course for each of the Fall and Spring semesters.

Additional service will also be expected and focused on efforts that also contribute to growth and support of the Futures program as well as the home department. The Professor of Practice may also have opportunities to teach more specialized courses in their respective department or contribute to interdisciplinary programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Futures is an innovative and interdisciplinary course included in the Mines core curriculum. Every semester approximately 900 undergraduate students in their first or second year will be enrolled in the course. Each class has 150 students and is taught by no less than 5 faculty members who are associated with fields and departments across campus. Each class is further sectioned into cohorts that rotate through four simultaneously taught 4‑week seminar modules with these different instructors.

While the instructors teach their specific expertise, they all focus their lens around a main course theme. Each class has its own theme relevant to the future (e.g., Energy Futures, Technology Futures, Critical Resources Futures, etc.). Ultimately each student goes through multiple 4‑week seminars with instructors that focus on the main theme in a variety of ways, thus gaining knowledge and experience with multiple perspectives and systems awareness around a theme relevant to the complex future ahead.

The Futures program is administratively housed in the Earth and Society Programs Portfolio but as the course is a required core curriculum offering, students and faculty across all disciplines and majors participate. This course intentionally highlights the complex integration of important perspectives and systems that contribute to many themes of the Future incorporating engineering systems, environmental, economic, social, humanitarian, and policy considerations in every offering.

We specifically invite candidates with strong interdisciplinary interests and global application backgrounds. Regardless of disciplinary background, candidates must demonstrate sustained interest in complex systems and STEM‑relevant theme integration around environmental and societal future needs. Preferred candidates will be able to demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate instruction, impact of relevant pedagogies, and productive collaborations with scholars across disciplines.

Relevant disciplinary backgrounds for this specific position focus on civil or environmental engineering systems, futures studies, earth and environmental studies, or related sociotechnical or STEM integrated areas of focus. Relevant experiential backgrounds for this specific position include global construction, civil, environmental, policy, and entrepreneurial applications with demonstrated contribution to implementation and improvement in community building and construction.

Special consideration will be given to candidates that can communicate how they can specifically contribute to…