Tenured Professor and Chair of Systems and Information Engineering

Tenured Professor and Chair of Systems and Information Engineering

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The Department of Systems and Information Engineering (SIE) within the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) at the University of Virginia invites applications for the department chair position. For 50 years, our department has been a cornerstone of excellence—educating leaders in engineering and business who make a real‑world impact. Today, we continue this tradition through innovative research and education. As we look to the future, we seek a visionary leader and world‑class scholar whose experience and achievements merit appointment as a full professor and who can foster a collaborative, innovative, and inclusive environment.

This is an opportunity to join a department with a rich history, a culture of excellence, and an ambitious trajectory for the future.

The Department of Systems and Information Engineering is the proud academic home to 15 tenure‑track faculty, 3 academic general faculty members, and a vibrant community of ~150 graduate students and ~225 undergraduate students (2nd–4th years). We adopt systems thinking to make sense of the complexity of the world to tackle societal challenges. The department’s three broad research areas center around:
Human‑Technology Interaction, Operations Research/Analytics, and Information & Intelligent Automation.

Our department manages an extensive research portfolio with funding from industry, federal agencies, and private foundations. These funds support fellowships, instructional equipment, and innovative research projects enabling our faculty and students to pursue research in numerous dimensions of systems engineering, including operations research, systems thinking, decision theory, robotics, automation, artificial intelligence (AI), human factors, human‑computer interaction (HCI), risk analysis, and financial engineering.

To support these activities, faculty and graduate students draw on the wide range of research facilities available in the department and participate in several multidisciplinary research centers across the School of Engineering and the University of Virginia. The department has also received two substantial donations from private donors for the creation and funding of two endowed professorships—one in systems thinking and another in operations research/financial engineering.

These achievements reflect our department’s strength, ambition, and collaborative spirit as we continue to shape the future of systems and information engineering.

The new chair will provide leadership for the Department of Systems and Information Engineering, guiding initiatives in strategic planning, faculty and staff development, alumni engagement, and the recruitment of future faculty leaders. The chair will oversee the department’s budget and serve as a key liaison with the School of Engineering and Applied Science and University leadership, fostering relationships built on integrity, transparency, and collaboration.

This role requires a leader with proven management, administrative acumen, and outreach expertise and a strong research and teaching record. The chair should support both faculty and staff driving the department’s continued path of growth and success.

• Continue to build on the strategic vision and objectives of the SIE department
• Build and enhance the reputation of SIE at UVA and beyond in the broader systems engineering community
• Play a key role in supporting and advocating for department programs and initiatives to SEAS and University leadership
• Play a key role in maintaining alumni engagement and involvement
• Aid in the department’s assessments and accreditation process
• Work closely with department staff on budgetary and administrative aspects essential for operational success
• Work closely with the faculty and staff within the department to improve the quality of its undergraduate and graduate programs
• Support, guide, and mentor faculty, students, and staff in a transparent manner to…