Professor of Practice

Professor of Practice

Posting Number: req
35422

Employment Type:

Faculty
Faculty Type:
Open Rank
Hiring Department:
Mechanical Engineering (023A)
Academic

Location:

School of Engineering
Campus:
Main - Albuquerque, NM

The University of New Mexico provides a comprehensive package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. See the Benefits home page for more information.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, invites applications for a full-time faculty position as the John J. Russell Endowed Professor of Practice, with the anticipated start date of August 2026. At UNM, FSAE is taught as a 3-semester course sequence, in which student teams conceive, design, fabricate and compete with small formula-style racing cars, culminating in a national competition hosted by SAE International in Michigan, each June.

This non-tenure-track 9-month appointment emphasizes practice, mentorship, and program building alongside teaching and service. The appointee will:

• Serve as the primary faculty mentor and technical director for FSAE, guiding end-to-end vehicle development: concept, design, systems integration, manufacturing, testing, competition logistics, and continuous improvement.
• Teach practice-forward courses and labs (e.g., design/build/test, CAD/CAM, DFM/DFA, instrumentation, project management, safety) and contribute to capstone.
• Build a robust safety culture and ensure compliance with university, shop, and competition regulations; maintain documentation, training, and risk assessments.
• Cultivate partnerships with industry for sponsor ships, mentoring, internships, and in‑kind support; steward relationships with alumni and donors.
• Advance student professional formation—leadership, teamwork, ethical practice, communication and design review discipline—aligned with ABET outcomes.
• Collaborate across departments (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Management) to support vehicle electrification, data acquisition, operations, and fundraising.

Note:

Due to budgetary constraints, the department is unable to consider candidates requiring H‑1B sponsorship that requires a $100,000 payment as a requirement for sponsorship.

Applicants must hold an earned M.S. (or higher) in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field. Candidates must have 5+ years of significant industry practice and demonstrated mentoring experience of early‑career engineers or students, along with evidence of safe, high‑reliability shop and test operations. Preferred qualifications include experience with FSAE or analogous competition, a record of fundraising/sponsorship development, familiarity with electrified powertrains and functional safety, professional licensure or relevant certifications, and demonstrated commitment to cultivate an understanding of the rich and varied cultures of New Mexico and to the success of the university’s mission to serve local and global communities.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is committed to excellence in both undergraduate and graduate education offering B.S. (ABET accredited), M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs. A team of 19 full‑time faculty, and several research and part‑time faculty, support the activities of close to 700 undergraduate students and about 100 graduate students. We support both a strong core of mechanical engineering and interdisciplinary education that include aerospace, manufacturing, nano‑ and micro‑systems, energy systems, and bio‑mechanics.

For further information about the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Mexico, see me.unm.edu.

The University of New Mexico is the premier research university in the state of New Mexico. UNM is a Carnegie R1 Very High Research Activity Institution and a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, with approximately 28,000 students on the main and branch campuses with about 3,000 students in the School of Engineering. Albuquerque is an ethnically diverse city and has been listed among…