Assistant or Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering

Position Details

School of Engineering

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK 

Grade 8 Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606

Grade 9 Full time starting salary is normally in the range £58,225 to £67,468 with potential progression once in post to £87,974

Grade: 8 or 9

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 1st December 2025

Background

This is an exciting time to join the University of Birmingham and advance your academic career. Following the creation of the School of Engineering in 2016, which brought together the disciplines of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electronic, Electrical & Systems Engineering, we are now entering Phase 2 of our renaissance. We are investing significantly in people and infrastructure, including our new £65m signature building, the world-leading £26M National Buried Infrastructure Facility, and the £28m UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN), all of which have opened in the past few years. These state-of-the-art facilities have not only enhanced our research capabilities but have also solidified our position as a leading research and education institution, enabling groundbreaking discoveries and providing an exceptional learning environment for our students.

The school boasts a rich history of world-class research and takes pride in its robust and wide-reaching connections with industry. These partnerships ensure the rapid application of our pioneering research in practical settings. This fact is underscored by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), which ranked Engineering among the top 10 institutions in the UK. 

In line with our ongoing investments, we are seeking to appoint a driven and highly research active Mechanical Engineer to join our Department of Mechanical Engineering and help us create the future. The Department of Mechanical Engineering encompasses research in Advanced Manufacturing; Automation, Robotics and Control; Automotive Engineering; Biomedical Engineering; Clean Energy Engineering; and Sustainable Manufacturing.

For this current recruitment we are particularly interested in applications from candidates who can demonstrate ambition, innovation, and leadership, and that are undertaking research and teaching in any of the areas of (Sustainable) Transportation Systems or Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.  This could cover but is not limited to, research ranging in:

• Advancedpropulsion technologies such as hydrogen, ammonia, electrification and hybrid systems, addressing the drive to net-zero.
• Application of data science and AI to engineering challenges, such as robotic manufacturing, transportation, medical engineering, future mobility, and infrastructure.

The successful candidate will be expected to create and disseminate knowledge through initiating and conducting original research, through publication and through developing and delivering undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD programmes, as appropriate to the disciplinary area. In addition, to contribute to the department/school through management/leadership, and enterprise activities, as appropriate. 

The School of Engineering is dedicated to upholding the principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in all its endeavours, and we strongly encourage applications from individuals belonging to underrepresented groups.

Role Summary

The role holder will be based in Edgbaston. The key duties and responsibilities will include but not be limited to: giving lectures and seminars and supervising undergraduate / post-graduate students, course development and innovation, taking an active part in examinations, carrying out innovative research and writing papers on topics relevant to the specialist subject area (this will include journals, books and other material), and obtaining research grant funding.

The successful applicant will have a PhD in a relevant specialist subject area, as well as postdoctoral experience. We are looking for candidates who will actively contribute to our portfolio and community, through pursuit of research that will bring new opportunities, synergies, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The successful candidate will also have a track record in teaching at a higher education institution.

Appointments will be made at either an Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level please specify which role you are applying for in the application

To download the full job description please click here:

Grade 8

Grade 9 

Informal enquiries to Dr Carl Anthony, email , Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Karl D. Dearn, email: , Head of School of Engineering. 

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.