Position Summary

Purdue University's College of Engineering invites applications for a non-tenure track professor of engineering practice faculty position (at the associate professor or professor rank) to lead the internationally recognized EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service) Program. The responsibilities of the position will be split between the EPICS Program and the hiring School in the College of Engineering. EPICS is a service-learning design program in which teams of students partner with local and global community organizations to address human, community, and environmental needs. EPICS was founded at Purdue University in Fall 1995 and has been adopted at more than 40 universities and colleges. Purdue is the home of the EPICS University Consortium – a collaborative network of universities that freely share ideas and experiences to support program development. The EPICS model has also been extended to pre-college education, with over 100 middle and high schools offering EPICS courses supported by the EPICS Program.

The successful candidate will serve as Director of EPICS, providing strategic leadership in developing, disseminating and supporting service-learning models that engage students in engineering and computing-based design projects that meet the needs of their communities for all three aspects of the EPICS program: the Purdue courses at the West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations, the University Consortium, and the K-12 Program. This role includes fostering innovation in engineering education, expanding partnership with community, corporate, higher education, foundation, and philanthropic organizations, securing external funding, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration across campus and beyond. Responsibilities associated with the hiring School of Engineering can include teaching, engagement, scholarship, and service.

Responsibilities

• Provide visionary leadership for the Purdue EPICS program, including curriculum development, faculty engagement, and student recruitment.
• Oversee partnerships with community organizations and ensure alignment of projects with educational goals and community needs.
• Teach/advise EPICS sections and mentor student project teams.
• Recruit and mentor faculty and instructors involved in EPICS, including those from local industry, and represent EPICS within the Purdue community.
• Collaborate with other departments and colleges to expand EPICS across disciplines within the College of Engineering and more broadly across the university.
• Provide visionary leadership for EPICS University Consortium and K-12 Programs and disseminate and support training needed to implement project-based community engagement programs at the college and pre-college levels, and support engagement with professional societies and organizations.
• Lead efforts to secure external funding through grants, corporate sponsorships, and philanthropic support.
• Contribute to the scholarship of engineering education and community-engaged learning and represent the program at national and international events and in professional organizations.
• Responsibilities associated with the hiring School of Engineering, which can include teaching, engagement, scholarship, and service.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. degree in engineering, engineering education, or a closely related field by the employment start date.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching, complementary scholarship, and service at the associate professor or professor rank or equivalent
• Experience in project-based learning, service-learning, or community-engaged scholarship.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Commitment to education and community engagement.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should submit:

• A cover letter outlining interest, qualifications and experiences that align with the position.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Statement of teaching philosophy.
• Statement of leadership and vision for EPICS.
• Contact information for at least three references.

For information/questions regarding applications, contact Academic Affairs, College of Engineering, at coeacademicaffairs@purdue.edu. Review of applications will begin on December 12, 2025, and continue until the position is filled.

Purdue and the College of Engineering have a Concierge Program that provides dual career assistance and relocation services.  

About Purdue Engineering

As the largest top 5 USNWR-ranked engineering college, Purdue Engineering is a national and global leader in world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. As reflected in Vision for 2030, the College is accelerating its upward trajectory to maximize impact and become the most consequential engineering college in the nation. With 13,530 undergraduate students, 5,929 graduate students, and 502 faculty, Purdue Engineering is now the largest producer of best-prepared engineering talent in the nation. The College aims to lead the nation in research impact with initiatives in engineering and medicine, autonomous and connected systems, space engineering, manufacturing and operations, semiconductors, and energy transition and by leveraging Purdue University initiatives in artificial intelligence, national security and technology, computing, and the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business. Purdue Engineering strives to advance the state and nation through economic and workforce development. It is an engine of growth for innovation, contributing 71% of Purdue’s record-breaking number of utility patents and helping to make it the top U.S. public university for utility patents in 2024.  

Purdue Engineering Highlights

• USNWR #5 ranking in research/graduate engineering program in the nation
• 29 of Purdue’s 30 astronauts are Engineering alumni
• Largest USNWR top 10 engineering undergraduate program in the U.S.
• #2 U.S. online master’s engineering programs overall and #5 in such programs for veterans
• The “Cradle of Astronauts”: 30 astronaut alums
• 38 past and present NAE members
• 8 past and present recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, or Science
• 16 National Academy of Inventors fellows
• #1 by enrollment of undergraduate female engineers nationwide
• Purdue University West Lafayette is ranked 7th among universities in the world and 4th in the nation by USPTO for utility patents. Engineering has received 1,100+ U.S. patents to date, and the college accounted for 71 percent of U.S. patents issued to the university in 2024. 

The Home of 1st and #1

• 1st person on the moon: alumnus Neil Armstrong
• 1st female commercial astronaut: alumna Beth Moses
• 1st female NAE member: Purdue professor and “First Lady of Engineering” Lillian Gilbreth
• 1st female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean: faculty member Amelia Earhart
• 1st department (now school) dedicated to engineering education (2004)
• 1st U.S. university with a Women in Engineering Program
• 1st comprehensive, large-scale semiconductor degrees program in the U.S.
• 1st Mach 8 quiet wind tunnel in the world
• 1st fully digitized nuclear reactor in the U.S.
• #1 U.S. online graduate programs in IE, EE, ME, and Engineering Management
• #1 ABE graduate program in the nation
• #2 for total doctoral degrees awarded by any U.S. public research university 

Purdue University is an equal opportunity / equal access university.