Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position beginning Fall 2025 at the level of Assistant Professor. The successful applicant for the position will join the School’s new Department of Biomedical Engineering and contribute to the growth and development of its B.S. degree program which began Fall 2024. The new biomedical engineering program will be joining the School’s other ABET-accredited undergraduate programs in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Civil Engineering, in Engineering Management, and in Computer Science. SEAS is committed to rigorous, engaging, and topical curricula, excellent facilities, small classes, attentive advising, and close and congenial contact with students.
Candidates for the position must have a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering or in a closely related technical discipline and must have their degree awarded before their contract start date. The areas of expertise are open, encompassing all research areas of the biomedical engineering field, and may be experimental, computational, and/or theoretical. The candidate will be expected to: 1) demonstrate excellence in teaching, including equity minded teaching 2), develop and maintain an active research program and scholarly agenda that involves undergraduate students, 3) advise undergraduate students including students from traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities, and 4) provide service to the institution as an academic citizen. Promotion and tenure are based on demonstrated and continued excellence in these four evaluation categories.
Faculty in SEAS often mentor undergraduate students in research experiences during the school year. Internal funding opportunities are also available to support undergraduate student-faculty research both during the academic year as well as during summer sessions. In addition, Gonzaga’s Center for Teaching and Advising provides regular faculty development and education opportunities, including a New Faculty Learning Community program to help welcome and support new faculty throughout their first year at Gonzaga. The newly opened Bollier Family Center for Integrated Science and Engineering on Gonzaga’s campus contains teaching, research, and collaboration spaces for faculty from Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Math, Physics, Psychology, and Engineering.
With a mission rooted in the Jesuit tradition, Gonzaga seeks to educate students to become compassionate leaders who engage with the world, seek justice, and contribute to the common good. As a campus community, we prioritize inclusive excellence and increasing campus diversity, particularly in supporting underrepresented students in higher education. SEAS seeks candidates who align with this mission and encourages applicants to address it in their cover letter. We value candidates who have worked with faculty, staff, and students with diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures, and experiences, and who contribute to a welcoming campus climate. Evidence working with underrepresented and minoritized students through teaching, research, or mentoring is preferred.
Gonzaga’s campus sits adjacent to downtown Spokane, WA, along the Spokane River in the Inland Northwest’s most metropolitan region. We exist on the traditional homelands of the Spokane people, one of the Interior Salish speaking tribes of the region. Spokane is Washington’s second largest city and boasts a vibrant restaurant, entertainment, and arts community; it is also home to a diverse array of neighborhoods and popular outdoor recreational areas.
Essential Functions
The successful candidate will be someone who has:
Teaching: The ability to teach classes on the topic of biomedical engineering in areas of mechanics, signals, bio transport, and/or systems. A commitment to excellence in teaching, especially at the undergraduate level, and to continuous pedagogical improvement. Faculty will teach approximately 3 in-person courses or their equivalent each semester (18 credit hours a year). No teaching is required during the summer months.
Scholarship Activity: The mindset of a teacher-scholar who is committed to pursuing scholarly works throughout their careers. Scholarship should be within the scope of Gonzaga University’s status as a primarily undergraduate institution. The Biomedical Engineering program does not offer graduate-level degrees. Successful candidates will establish a research program in the candidate’s area of expertise that 1) support undergraduate student participation in the research, 2) mentor and oversee undergraduate research assistants, and 3) communicate results through peer-reviewed papers, presentations, and other communications appropriate to the discipline.
Advising: The willingness to advise undergraduate students in their course selection and in their career path choices, and a commitment to the careful and formal advising of students.
Academic Citizenship and Service: The willingness to serve on Department, School, and University committees, and a commitment to involvement in shared governance roles which contribute to the overall well-being of the institution.
Minimum Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering or in a closely related technical discipline, awarded before July 15, 2025
- Demonstrated record of teaching and mentoring students with diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures, and experiences
- Evidence of an ongoing scholarly/research agenda
Desired Qualifications
- Relevant teaching record with a focus on undergraduate instruction
- Demonstrated ability to establish and run a research program (e.g. postdoctoral record, industry research record, leadership roles in a research project, advising undergraduates in a research context, etc.)
- Engineering practice in academic, industry, or government settings
