What are the responsibilities and job description for the Professor & Department Chair - Electrical and Computer Engineering position at University of Pittsburgh?
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for the position of Department Chair and Professor. We seek a dynamic and accomplished research scholar and educator with exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills; a transformative vision for the future of engineering in general and electrical and computer engineering in particular; and a plan to realize that vision.
Applicants for the position must possess a PhD in electrical and/or computer engineering, or a closely related field and be qualified for appointment as a tenured, full professor in the Swanson School of Engineering. The successful candidate will bring a distinguished record of sponsored research, impactful publications, and excellence in teaching and mentoring, along with strong leadership skills and a clear, forward-looking vision for the department. As the primary bridge across faculty, staff, students, and university leadership, the chair is responsible for setting measurable goals and overseeing all education (undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral), research, service, and administrative activities of the department. Administrative responsibilities include budget management; strategic planning; facilities oversight; and staff supervision. The successful candidate will also demonstrate interpersonal competencies essential to this role: active listening, inclusive decision-making, and the ability to align departmental priorities with the Swanson School's strategic plan. We are especially seeking a leader who can leverage synergies across Pitt, peer institutions, and industry to build strong partnerships — including major centers, initiatives, and industrial collaborations — while also cultivating donor relationships, engaging communities, and strengthening external ties that advance the department's visibility and impact.
About the ECE Department: One of the oldest Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) departments in the country, the ECE department at Pitt is home to 37 full-time faculty members, 400 undergraduate students, and 160 graduate students. The department provides access to world-class research infrastructure including the Nanoscale Fabrication and Characterization Facility (NFCF), a cleanroom user facility in Benedum Hall offering researchers access to state-of-the-art e-beam lithography, deposition, and etching tools alongside advanced electron microscopy; the newly-commissioned Western Pennsylvania Quantum Information Core (WPQIP) facility with cutting edge equipment for fabrication and characterization of quantum devices and materials; and the Energy Innovation Center (EIC), which houses several Pitt laboratories and startup incubator space for industry-engaged research. The ECE faculty also benefit from the University’s Center for Research Computing and Data (CRCD), which operates a large multi-thousand-core cluster with GPU co-processors and PhD-level consulting staff. Pitt ECE also leads the NSF Center for Space, High-performance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC), an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center advancing mission-critical computing for space science, defense, and resilient systems. Finally, the department’s deep ties to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), one of the nation’s largest academic medical centers, creates exceptional opportunities for collaborative, translational research bridging engineering and the biomedical sciences.
Applicants Should Submit
Please e-mail Dr. Lisa Maillart at maillart@pitt.edu in confidence for any questions or recommendations that you might have for potential candidates.
Engr-Dept Chairperson's Office
Assignment Category
Full-time regular
Bargaining Unit Eligibility
This position may be bargaining unit eligible
Child Protection Clearances
Not Applicable
Required Attachments
Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, Teaching Statement, Other (see posting for additional details)
Applicants for the position must possess a PhD in electrical and/or computer engineering, or a closely related field and be qualified for appointment as a tenured, full professor in the Swanson School of Engineering. The successful candidate will bring a distinguished record of sponsored research, impactful publications, and excellence in teaching and mentoring, along with strong leadership skills and a clear, forward-looking vision for the department. As the primary bridge across faculty, staff, students, and university leadership, the chair is responsible for setting measurable goals and overseeing all education (undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral), research, service, and administrative activities of the department. Administrative responsibilities include budget management; strategic planning; facilities oversight; and staff supervision. The successful candidate will also demonstrate interpersonal competencies essential to this role: active listening, inclusive decision-making, and the ability to align departmental priorities with the Swanson School's strategic plan. We are especially seeking a leader who can leverage synergies across Pitt, peer institutions, and industry to build strong partnerships — including major centers, initiatives, and industrial collaborations — while also cultivating donor relationships, engaging communities, and strengthening external ties that advance the department's visibility and impact.
About the ECE Department: One of the oldest Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) departments in the country, the ECE department at Pitt is home to 37 full-time faculty members, 400 undergraduate students, and 160 graduate students. The department provides access to world-class research infrastructure including the Nanoscale Fabrication and Characterization Facility (NFCF), a cleanroom user facility in Benedum Hall offering researchers access to state-of-the-art e-beam lithography, deposition, and etching tools alongside advanced electron microscopy; the newly-commissioned Western Pennsylvania Quantum Information Core (WPQIP) facility with cutting edge equipment for fabrication and characterization of quantum devices and materials; and the Energy Innovation Center (EIC), which houses several Pitt laboratories and startup incubator space for industry-engaged research. The ECE faculty also benefit from the University’s Center for Research Computing and Data (CRCD), which operates a large multi-thousand-core cluster with GPU co-processors and PhD-level consulting staff. Pitt ECE also leads the NSF Center for Space, High-performance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC), an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center advancing mission-critical computing for space science, defense, and resilient systems. Finally, the department’s deep ties to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), one of the nation’s largest academic medical centers, creates exceptional opportunities for collaborative, translational research bridging engineering and the biomedical sciences.
Applicants Should Submit
- A brief Cover Letter that includes a Statement of Interest
- Curriculum Vita
- Research Statement
- Teaching Statement
- Statement of Plans/Vision specific to Pitt-ECE for strengthening the department’s competitiveness, impact, and visibility (maximum of 2 pages)
- Contact information for at least three professional references.
Please e-mail Dr. Lisa Maillart at maillart@pitt.edu in confidence for any questions or recommendations that you might have for potential candidates.
Engr-Dept Chairperson's Office
Assignment Category
Full-time regular
Bargaining Unit Eligibility
This position may be bargaining unit eligible
Child Protection Clearances
Not Applicable
Required Attachments
Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, Teaching Statement, Other (see posting for additional details)