Chair, Department of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering

Stony Brook University College of Engineering & Applied Sciences Chair, Department of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering

College of Engineering & Applied Sciences (CEAS) at Stony Brook University seeks a highly accomplished scholar and strategic leader to be the Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering (MSCE). Serving a renewable five-year term, the Department Chair will be appointed as a full-time tenured faculty member in MSCE and, while remaining active in research, will provide sustained strategic leadership of the department.

The department currently houses 21 tenure-line faculty, four research professors, and over 100 adjunct and affiliate faculty. Six technical and administrative staff support the department. Current graduate-student enrollment is 121. Since its inception, the MSCE department has had a strong research component, with a recent emphasis on advanced materials, materials and processes for energy generation and storage, and sustainability. With its collegiality and culture of collaboration, the department has been remarkably successful in obtaining external funding for research and currently has the highest per capita faculty funding in all of Stony Brook.

It supports a wide range of research programs, with strengths in energy, catalysis and hard materials, computational materials science, microelectronics, nuclear materials, polymer and soft materials, sustainable engineering, and thermal spray. Total research expenditures in FY surpassed $13M. The proximity to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and its advanced national facilities has been a major benefit to both MSCE faculty and students.

The department’s external advisory board supports the department by providing counsel on programs, career trajectories, industry engagement, and philanthropy.

MSCE’s new Chair will leverage Stony Brook’s new all-funds, performance-based budget model to expand the current curricular offerings and develop new forward-looking curricula and degree programs in collaboration with other units as appropriate. The Chair will also expand research in the areas of national importance, leveraging existing strengths in CEAS and other Stony Brook departments/centers such as those focused on energy, climate sciences, quantum information systems, medicine and healthcare, sustainability, artificial intelligence, critical materials, data science, climate and clean energy, and biomedical science.

The candidate will also leverage current departmental growth areas by leading strong collaborative efforts in fields such as but not limited to advanced computational materials sciences and microstructural characterization techniques.

The Chair will be a proven, entrepreneurial leader who can inspire faculty, staff, and students in a shared governance environment. They will have the ability to collaboratively develop a compelling vision to establish MSCE as a hub for research and education and as a site of innovation, teaching, and translation. They will have strong skills for mentoring junior faculty and will promote the interests of the entire department.

Fundraising experience is preferred but not required.

• An earned doctorate in a discipline appropriate for a faculty appointment in the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences
• A distinguished record of research, teaching, and academic mentoring commensurate with appointment as a tenured full professor at Stony Brook University
• A proven track record of scholarship and the ability to support a vibrant research program along with an outstanding record of professional achievement
• Excellent leadership and management abilities suited to guiding a world-class research and education program

• Demonstrated academic leadership experience and a strong commitment to collaborative, inclusive, and synergistic leadership that fosters a respectful and supportive environment for faculty, staff, and students at all levels
• A record of successful administrative experience including managing personnel, budgets, and academic operations at the department, center/institute, or school/college level
• A track…