Title: Assistant Professor (TT)- Electrical & Computer Engineering- Power Electronics Devices & Systems
Executive Area: Academic Affairs
College/School/MBU: Engineering
Department: Elect & Computer Engineering
Work Location: Amherst
Schedule: Full Time
Work Arrangement: Onsite
Job Summary
The Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is seeking talented applicants for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Power Electronics. Under exceptional circumstances, highly qualified candidates at other ranks may receive consideration. The appointment is expected to begin September 1, 2027.
We will strengthen our commitment to recruiting and retaining diverse and exceptional global talent by advancing a community of success, wellness, and inclusivity. As the flagship public land-grant university of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use our knowledge for the betterment of the world. We embrace our responsibility to advance the inclusive and equitable well-being of all people and the health of our planet.
The position is defined broadly across the full scope of power electronics and power conversion engineering. Scholars working across disciplines or in nontraditional or emerging areas of power electronics are particularly encouraged to apply. Demonstrated connections or potential for partnership with industry and national laboratories is a plus.
Specific areas of interest include but are not limited to:
Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor and oxide devices and their application in power conversion systems
Design, control, and optimization of power electronic converters and inverters
Grid-connected power electronics, motor drives, microgrids, and distributed energy resources
This position is part of the department's strategic growth in energy systems and electrification, aligned with the university's Energy Transition Institute and the new Sustainable Engineering Laboratories building. We are committed to expanding the scope of our department beyond our traditional strengths.
As a campus, college, and department with an increasingly diverse student body, we are looking for candidates who can operate effectively in a diverse faculty and student community, and who value collegiality, collaboration, achievement, and integrity. We encourage applications from individuals with a commitment to mentor under-represented demographics within engineering. We welcome candidates who have had non-traditional career paths, those who have paused their careers for family or other reasons, or who spent time outside of academia.
Essential Functions
The candidate is expected to develop an externally-funded research program in power electronics engineering and develop and maintain an internationally recognized scholarly presence. External funding sources in this area include NSF (ECCS, CBET, ERC programs), DOE (EERE, ARPA-E), DARPA, and industry partnerships.
The candidate is expected to contribute to teaching existing graduate and undergraduate courses in related areas, and will be encouraged to develop creative new curricula in areas of their expertise, including courses supporting the department's power and energy systems academic program.
The candidate is also expected to contribute meaningful service to their department, College, University, and externally within their field through participation in committees, faculty governance, and activities that support the academic community.
Other Functions
Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field, or anticipate having such a degree by August 31, 2027.
Additional Details
The ECE Department is an inclusive and vibrant academic community, with 45 full-time faculty members, approximately 270 graduate students, and 775 undergraduates. Research expenditures exceeded $13.4M in the most recent fiscal year. The department has broad research strengths and is actively growing its presence in power electronics and energy systems. Additional information about the department can be obtained at umass.edu/engineering/ece.
The Daniel J. Riccio Jr. College of Engineering is recognized as one of the top 35 public engineering schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is the #1 public engineering program in New England. Our inclusive and dynamic community includes approximately 2,700 undergraduate and 650 graduate students, and 160 instructional faculty across five engineering departments. With over $69 million in research expenditures and 20+ affiliated research centers and programs, we're at the forefront of discovery. For more on the Riccio College of Engineering, visit: https://www.umass.edu/engineering/.
Our new Sustainable Engineering Laboratories building offers immersive labs and learning spaces, enabling us to test and develop technologies that address real-world sustainability challenges — a natural home for cutting-edge power electronics research. The College strives to be a leader in transformative engineering education, supporting faculty through various initiatives including our membership in the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN).
UMass Amherst is a leader in providing institutional support for faculty to combine work and family/personal responsibilities, and has been listed among the Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For." UMass maintains a nationally recognized ADVANCE Institutional Transformation program that seeks to increase equity in STEM fields (https://www.umass.edu/advance/). For more information on work-life balance at UMass Amherst, see https://www.umass.edu/faculty-development/prospective-faculty/work-here/work-life-balance.
This position is subject to final budgetary and administrative approval.
Working Conditions
Work is performed in a standard office or indoor university environment and involves minimal physical exertion.
Work Schedule and Work Arrangement
Full-time, academic year position. Schedule varies depending on teaching, research, and service.
Salary Information
The University expects to pay within an approximate range between $79,350 and $137,344 for this position.
The low end of the pay range in all faculty searches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is the minimum salary for the rank included in the collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Massachusetts Society of Professors, UMass Amherst/MTA/NEA. Engineering tenure-track starting salaries are typically well above this minimum.
The high end of the pay range reflects the 75th percentile for the department/discipline based on established, disciplinary-specific faculty compensation surveys.
The specific pay for this position will be determined by the University based on consideration of all relevant factors, including faculty rank and required or relevant certifications, when and if it decides to extend an offer of employment.
Special Instructions for Applicants
Candidates must provide the following materials in their application package, addressed to the "Power Electronics Search Committee." Applications will be reviewed starting on January 1, 2027 and will be reviewed until the search is completed. Applications submitted by the priority deadline will receive full consideration. All files must be provided in .pdf format. Applicants must disclose whether and to what extent AI tools were used in the preparation of their application package.
Cover letter (1 page) — addressed to the "Power Electronics Search Committee." The letter should a) introduce yourself, b) briefly describe your research interests and alignment with this position, and c) describe your interest in and alignment with the mission and vision of the Riccio College of Engineering.
Overall vision statement (2 pages) — Candidates should describe the overall vision of what they would like to accomplish in their career, integrating across all aspects of teaching, research, outreach, and service, and discuss the inspiration that will sustain them in this faculty position.
Research statement (2 pages) — Candidates should situate their past research in a broader scholarly context and give their research vision for this position. Candidates are specifically asked to mention the types of scholarship they will perform, how that scholarship will be disseminated, expectations for how that scholarship will be funded, collaboration potential, and any connections to community engagement, broadening participation in STEM, or grand challenges in engineering. Statements will be evaluated based on demonstrated excellence or demonstrated promise of future excellence.
Teaching and mentoring statement (2 pages) — Candidates should address teaching and mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students, as well as recruiting of graduate students. Candidates should describe their past teaching and mentoring experience and express their vision for educating the next generation of engineers. Candidates are specifically asked to mention existing courses in power electronics and energy systems they are qualified to offer, and courses they are interested in developing. Please discuss any plans for making engineering engaging to all students.
Curriculum vitae — Typically ordered as follows: 1) education, 2) employment, 3) awards and honors, 4) sponsored research (if any), 5) peer-reviewed publications, 6) service, and 7) other sections as appropriate.
Professional references — Contact information (name, title, email address, institution) for three professional references. At least one reference must be from a current or former supervisor. References will not be contacted until the second phase of the search.
Process
The steps of the search process are as follows:
A minimally qualified pool is identified from the applicants, ideally by mid-January 2027.
All remaining candidates are evaluated and a long list of approximately 10–15 candidates is identified; these candidates will be invited to preliminary interviews via video conference. Candidates invited to these interviews will be notified at least one week before the scheduled date.
Reference letters will be requested from candidates advancing to the short list stage.
A short list of approximately 5 candidates is developed from the long list; these candidates will be invited to interview on campus. We anticipate on-campus interviews in February–March 2027, completing before spring break.
This position will remain open for the time period required by any applicable collective bargaining agreement and will continue until a suitable candidate pool is identified. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early.