The Opportunity
Ohio Wesleyan University’s new Conrades School of Engineering invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering beginning in August 2027. This is an opportunity to help build an undergraduate engineering program from the ground up, combining rigorous technical education with the breadth of the liberal arts. We seek a collaborative colleague committed to excellent teaching, student mentorship, and research involving undergraduates. Candidates from all areas of mechanical engineering are welcome.
This job is part of a cluster of positions focused on flexibility, interdisciplinarity, and inclusivity. The faculty cohort will join an educational community that values interdisciplinarity and fosters close working relationships with students through our signature program in experiential learning, the OWU Connection. Incoming faculty will be provided with mentoring, professional development, startup funds, and opportunities to connect with faculty across the Ohio 5 and GLCA consortia. For more information about the cluster, please visit www.owu.edu/joinOWUfaculty.
About the Conrades School of Engineering
Supported by $17 million in alumni contributions, the Conrades School of Engineering represents a sustained investment in engineering education grounded in the liberal arts. The school will welcome its first mechanical engineering majors in fall 2027, offering a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and complementary minors in Engineering Science and Science and Engineering in the Public Interest. Its approach brings technical depth together with ethical reasoning, creative problem-solving, and an understanding of how engineering serves people and communities.
Working closely with the Founding Dean, the successful candidate will help shape the curriculum, establish teaching laboratories, develop student research and design experiences, and prepare for ABET accreditation. The school’s location in Central Ohio offers opportunities to build relationships with employers in advanced manufacturing, technology, and related fields. We seek a colleague who brings initiative and enjoys building connections across disciplines and between classroom learning and engineering practice.
Faculty support includes start-up funding, a pre-tenure sabbatical, student-faculty research opportunities through the Summer Scholarship & Research Program and the OWU Connection, and mentoring and professional development through the endowed Smith Center for Faculty Excellence.
Responsibilities
- Teach six courses per academic year (3/3), including first-year engineering and foundational courses such as Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials. Upper-level courses will be added as the program grows, aligned with the candidate’s expertise and program needs.
- Teach courses that contribute to the general education curriculum, including First Year Seminar.
- Assist in curriculum development, revision, and evaluation with the Founding Dean, including lecture courses, laboratory courses, and engineering design experiences.
- Help establish teaching laboratories, including developing experiments and identifying equipment needs.
- Advise students in their academic journey and mentor their professional development.
- Engage in a consistent and focused line of research that involves undergraduate students. Pursuit of external funding is encouraged.
- Contribute to student recruitment, experiential learning opportunities, and relationships with external partners.
- Support preparation for ABET accreditation by developing assessment tools, evaluating student learning, and documenting continuous improvement.
- Provide service to the department, university, and profession.
Qualifications
Required
- Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field, by the start of the appointment.
- Experience teaching undergraduate engineering courses, including laboratory instruction.
- Interest in or experience with mentoring undergraduate students, including undergraduate research.
- Experience with curriculum or laboratory development, student learning assessment, or ABET accreditation.
Preferred
- Engineering experience in industry.
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from an ABET-accredited program.
Application Instructions
Applicants should submit the following:
- Cover letter: Describe your qualifications, interest in the position, and preparation to contribute to the development of a new undergraduate mechanical engineering program within a liberal arts context.
- Current curriculum vitae: Include your teaching, research, professional, and service activities.
- Teaching and Student Engagement Statement (2-page limit): Please provide a statement that articulates your teaching philosophy. In your response, address your ability to teach a broad range of courses and to employ pedagogical approaches that support students with varied perspectives and experiences. Describe how you connect students with opportunities, resources, and networks that expand their access to the field of mechanical engineering. Include examples of outreach, advising, or program activities that have supported students whose pathways into mechanical engineering may not follow a traditional trajectory. Address classroom and laboratory instruction.
- Research statement (2-page limit): Outline the research program you would develop at OWU, including its central aims, how it will thrive at Ohio Wesleyan, opportunities for meaningful undergraduate participation, and the facilities and resources needed to establish it.
Please submit all materials, preferably in pdf format, via www.owu.edu/joinOWUfaculty, where you will find additional information about working at OWU. To be considered for the initial round of review, you must submit your cover letter, CV, teaching and student engagement statement, research statement, and contacts for three professional references. Official transcripts, reference letters, and additional materials may be requested at a later time and can be sent directly to [email protected].
Questions about the position may be directed to Paul Slaboch, Founding Dean of the Conrades School of Engineering and Search Chair, at [email protected]. For questions, including difficulty with uploading materials, contact [email protected] and include the search number in the subject line.
Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2026 and continue until the position is filled.
About Ohio Wesleyan University
Located in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, Ohio Wesleyan is a selective residential liberal arts college enrolling approximately 1,600+ students from across the nation and around the world. The college’s signature program, the OWU Connection, empowers students to complete research, community service, careers, and study abroad, teaching students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives and was recently listed as the No. 1 liberal arts college in Ohio for social mobility by U.S. News and World Report. OWU is located in Delaware, OH, a lively college town just 30 minutes from Columbus, the 14th most populous city in the United States and part of the fastest growing, most economically vibrant areas of the Midwest. Columbus, known increasingly as the “Silicon Midwest,” was named by LinkedIn as one of the top 10 U.S. cities in which to launch your career.
To achieve our mission, we continually strive to foster a campus community where every individual is respected, supported, and able to flourish. We affirm the worth of all persons and welcome people of all backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Ohio Wesleyan University is an equal opportunity institution and seeks applications from individuals who will contribute to, and help strengthen, our commitment to academic excellence, mutual respect, and the shared pursuit of knowledge.
Skills Required
- Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field by the start of the appointment
- Experience teaching undergraduate engineering courses, including laboratory instruction
- Interest in or experience with mentoring undergraduate students, including undergraduate research
- Experience with curriculum or laboratory development, student learning assessment, or ABET accreditation
- Engineering experience in industry
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from an ABET-accredited program
What We Do
A private, undergraduate, liberal arts university, Ohio Wesleyan is located in Delaware, Ohio, with easy access to Columbus, Ohio’s capital and the nation’s 14th-largest city. OWU is the home of The OWU Connection, the university's signature program designed to help students "think big" (understand issues from multiple academic disciplines), "go global" (gain international perspective), and "get real" (translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience). OWU also is the home of the "Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at Ohio Wesleyan University," a business accelerator and collaboration with the City of Delaware and Delaware County. Center members work with OWU student-interns to research ideas, create business and marketing plans, and more. The university offers more than 70 majors, 24 NCAA Division III women's and men's varsity sports, and a marching band. It is the home of the Battling Bishops! The university has a long legacy of community service and offers opportunities for students to participate in spring break interfaith service trips each spring. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists.
