Tenure-Track Faculty in the ATLAS Institute - with tenure home in Mechanical Engineering

Tenure-Track Faculty in the ATLAS Institute - with tenure home in Mechanical Engineering

Jobs UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

Jobs UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

Skip to content

• Search jobs
• Living Here
• Benefits
• Perks
• Jobs
• Join the CU Boulder Talent Community
• Create Job Alert
• FAQ
• Login
• Join the CU Boulder Talent Community
• Create Job Alert
• FAQ
• Login

Menu

• Search jobs
• Living Here
• Benefits
• Perks
• Jobs
• Join the CU Boulder Talent Community
• Create Job Alert
• FAQ
• Login
• Home
• Job Detail

Tenure-Track Faculty in the ATLAS Institute - with tenure home in Mechanical Engineering

Requisition Number:

74980

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Date Posted:

23-Sep-2026

Close All

Job Summary

Job Summary

The ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in creative technology and design. We seek an imaginative, collaborative, and boundary-pushing scholar whose work transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries and engages deeply with technology, design, and human experience. The successful candidate will lead a forward-looking and externally funded research agenda, teach across ATLAS's undergraduate and graduate programs, and contribute meaningfully to the institute's interdisciplinary community. The position will have a tenure home in the Mechanical Engineering department.

We welcome candidates whose work connects with existing ATLAS strengths while also introducing new directions.

Example areas include, but are not limited to:

• Bio-inspired & miniature robotics, compliant actuation, soft robotics, and muscle-tendon locomotion for dynamic systems.
• Wearable robotics, exoskeletons, prosthetics, flexible/printed electronics, electronic skin, and adaptive human-assistive platforms.
• Medical & surgical manipulators, physical human-machine interaction, sensorimotor control, bio-sensing, and safe soft-tissue intervention.
• Smart textiles, soft/animate materials, and functional bio-wearables bridging digital fabrication, molecular/tattoo interfaces, and interactive crafts.
• Dynamic shape-changing interfaces, programmable materials, spatial/environmental sensing, and tangible/AR-VR physical computing.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

Who We Are

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) is one of Colorado's flagship public institutions and among the most research-active public universities in the country. The College of Engineering and Applied Science is the second largest school or college on the CU Boulder campus and boasts top-tier rankings for both its graduate and undergraduate engineering programs, earning the 11th spot among public graduate programs and 17th nationwide for undergraduate engineering. Multiple specialty areas are also ranked within the top 20. Equally importantly, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and academically excellent community. Our approximately 250 tenure-track, 120 instructional-track, and 30 research-track faculty serve more than 6,000 undergraduate students, 1,300 master's students, and 850 PhD students. Our college has three core foci: (i) Research & Innovation, (ii) Education, and (iii) Inclusion. We believe that our college's success requires faculty who actively work to create an inclusive culture within the college and are committed to the campus plan of creating and sustaining supportive campus environments. To learn more about the College of Engineering and Applied Science, please visit the college website.

One of 12 institutes at CU Boulder, ATLAS is home to researchers who transcend traditional disciplinary structures of engineering, design, science, and art to inspire new realms of invention. We make tangible and digital tools and methods that shape how people interact with the world for a more inclusive, inspired, and sustainable society.

ATLAS is a home for radical creativity and invention-where faculty and students from engineering, design, science, and the arts converge to prototype new tools, methods, and experiences that shape a more inclusive, inspired, and sustainable world. Our labs span areas such as e‑textiles, human‑computer interaction, biomaterials, nanotechnology, data visualization, fabrication, music, performance, linguistics, and brain-music interfaces.

Additionally, CU Boulder is internationally recognized as a research center in the areas of physics, geography, spatial modeling, and remote sensing, earth and environmental sciences, and sustainability. To learn more, please visit the ATLAS website.

More than 1,700 students and over 80 faculty and staff in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering form an innovative and supportive community in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Students work together to learn the fundamentals of the field and engage in rigorous, team-based experiences addressing real-world problems. The department's award-winning faculty tackle societal challenges through technological innovation impacting the environment, security and human health. As a department, we are committed to high-impact research addressing real-world problems, active learning and experiential engineering education, and an inclusive community that brings together students, faculty, staff and alumni. For more information about the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, please visit the department website.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• Successful candidates will lead an innovative, externally funded research group or creative lab, teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate offerings, and provide service to the institute, campus, and professional community while advancing inclusive excellence.
• The standard workload distribution for this role is 40% scholarly and creative work (research), 40% teaching, and 20% leadership and service, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, design, environmental science, and the humanities.

What You Should Know

What You Should Know

• The anticipated start date for this position is Fall 2027, but a later start date may be negotiated.
• Appointments will be rostered in the ATLAS Institute with a tenure home in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, at the University of Colorado.
• The successful candidate should be prepared to obtain external sponsorship to support their research group and teach and work with students at all levels from a variety of cultural and intellectual backgrounds.
• As part of the University of Colorado Boulder's deep commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the campus has implemented a reference check program with respect to final candidates for tenured faculty appointments. The reference check program is intended to allow CU Boulder to collect and review information about a candidate's conduct at their previous institutions, specifically conduct related to sexual misconduct, harassment, and/or discrimination - before making hiring decisions. All final candidates for tenured faculty appointments are required to complete an Authorization to Release Information.

What We Can Offer

What We Can Offer

• The anticipated academic-year salary range for this position at the Assistant Professor rank is $118,000-$130,000.
• A relocation stipend may be available within CEAS guidelines.
• CU offers a competitive 401(a) retirement plan, with employees contributing 5% of their annual eligible compensation and CU contributing 10% of their eligible compensation. This plan is standard for most faculty hires. For more information on CU's retirement benefits visit our website here.
• In addition to a competitive salary, the University of Colorado Boulder offers a wide variety of other benefits and perks. Links to some of these are below. To forecast the value of your total compensation, check out our total compensation calculator. More information on some of our benefits and perks is available here: gender-neutral paid parental leave; housing down-payment assistance programs; dual-career & relocation resources; and teaching, research, and professional development.

Benefits

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's Best Large Employers, ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be groundbreaking. Be Boulder.

What We Require

What We Require

• Applicants must have earned a research doctorate in engineering, physical sciences, or a closely related field, or have their degree conferred before starting a tenure-track faculty appointment.

Special Instructions

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials* as individual PDF files:

• Cover Letter: A one-page cover letter describing your interest in the position and summarizing your personal academic goals.
• Resume/CV: A current curriculum vitae.
• A Statement of Research Philosophy: A statement of your experience and plans for research and/or creative work that contributes to the body of knowledge in your field and provides broader benefits to education and society. (2-3 pages)
• A Statement of Teaching Philosophy: A statement of your experience and plans for teaching and mentoring a diverse student body (2-3 pages).
• Leadership, Service and Community Contributions Statement: In this statement, describe your leadership and service experience, and demonstrated ability to contribute to a supportive campus community. Please provide details on your track record, calibrated to your career stage, that describe the specific role you played in these efforts. These could include, but are not limited to service on committees, outreach activities to broaden engagement in or with engineering, or serving on advisory boards or task forces contributing to policies or regulations. In addition, describe your plans to contribute to our campus plan to Create Supportive Environments, and the College of Engineering and Applied Science Strategic Vision. (1-2 pages).

During the application process, you will be asked to provide the name and contact information for at least three references to submit a letter of recommendation to be considered along with your application materials.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, however for full consideration please apply by November 1, 2026. Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs. Background checks will be conducted for all final applicants.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu

Apply Now Share

• Facebook
• X
• Email

Help

Jobs

Submit a Request for Help

Frequently Asked Questions

For Technical Support: 303-735-4357 (5-HELP)

The University of Colorado does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, pregnancy, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, or political philosophy. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. Click here for a list of ADA and Title IX coordinators. To view the Regent policy, please click here. This organization participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each employee's I-9 form to confirm work authorization.

Reasonable Accommodations for Applicants with Disabilities

CU Boulder is committed to making information and resources that are available via the web accessible for all users. If you are a job seeker and need accessibility assistance or an accommodation in order to apply for one of our open positions, please submit an accessibility request or call 303-735-4357 (5-HELP) to submit a request for assistance.

Download the Clery Act Annual Security & Fire safety report, or request a paper copy from the CU Boulder Police Department.

Administrative and Research Center, East Campus • 3100 Marine St.• Boulder, CO 80309-0565

University of Colorado Boulder

Regents of the University of Colorado

Privacy • Legal & Trademarks • Campus Map