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Professor of the Practice, Gendell Center for Engineering, Energy and the Environment, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

The Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University invites applications for the Gendell Family Professorship of the Practice, a unique mentorship and scholarship opportunity in our newly-formed Gendell Center for Engineering, Energy and the Environment.   We seek to fill one position during the 2008-09 academic year, and invite applications at all ranks; appointment at the Full or Associate Professor level is anticipated for an exceptional applicant.    The successful candidate will receive a contract appointment in one of our four engineering departments-- biomedical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, or mechanical engineering and materials science--depending upon the candidate’s research and teaching interests..  More information on the Pratt School of Engineering and its departments can be found on the school’s webpage, http://www.pratt.duke.edu.

The scope of the Gendell Center is planned to extend broadly to both undergraduate and graduate education.  The current focus of the Center, and of this professorship, is to support a new certificate program for Duke undergraduates.  In this certificate, offered jointly by the Pratt School of Engineering and the Nicholas School of the Environment, engineers and non-engineers participate together in a six course program of study.  The program includes fundamentals of environmental science and engineering, energy technology, and markets and policy, and requires students to integrate this information through a team capstone experience focused on a real-world energy need, in which alternative solutions must be considered and a design developed and prototyped.  More information on the certificate and its requirements may be found at http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/programs/undergrad/energycert.html. 

The successful applicant should, through prior scholarship, engineering practice, or active participation in the energy industry, have the demonstrated ability to engage outside entities in the engineering educational enterprise.  Realizing such engagement through development of active consulting roles for industrial entities in student projects, and the teaching of laboratory and studio based design courses in which such projects will be developed and tested, are the key responsibilities of this professorship.    It is also expected that the Gendell professor will develop additional elective courses in energy technology and/or environmental aspects of energy production, thus contributing both to the certificate and to the curricular offerings available to students working in related fields.   Training in engineering at least at the bachelor’s level is a requirement of this position, and masters’ or PhD level training in fields of engineering related directly to energy and the environment will be seen as highly desirable.  Industrial or governmental experience dealing directly with energy and the environment will be another very strong plus for this position.

Applicants should submit a cover letter describing their research and teaching interests, a curriculum vitae, and the names and addresses of three references.   The cover letter should take particular care to describe how the qualifications of the applicant uniquely position him or her to bring real-world energy production design problems into the classroom, with an approach that will emphasize environmental sustainability of real-world solutions.   Applications received by March 1, 2009 will receive full consideration; however, evaluation of applicants will continue until the position is filled. 

Please submit your application to gendell-search@pratt.duke.edu as a PDF (preferred) or Word file attached to your email. Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Tod A. Laursen, Gendell Search Committee Chair
Pratt School of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
142 Hudson Hall
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708
Phone: 919-660-5418
Fax: 919-660-8963
email: gendell-search@pratt.duke.edu