The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Rice University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability and Resilience, as part of a coordinated faculty hiring initiative within Rice's George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2027.

We seek outstanding candidates who combine deep foundational expertise in core disciplines of civil and environmental engineering—including structural engineering, computational mechanics, materials, infrastructure systems, geotechnical engineering, hydrology, water resources, and the water–energy nexus —with expertise in applying and advancing artificial intelligence (AI) to envision and enable a future built environment that is sustainable, adaptive, and resilient, despite uncertainty. 

We are particularly interested in scholars who push the boundaries of AI and computational science while addressing fundamental challenges in how infrastructure and systems are modeled, designed, constructed, operated, sustained, and decommissioned.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Resilient and sustainable structures: AI-enabled design and life-cycle performance of civil, industrial, energy, and space structures under natural hazards and extreme environments.
  • AI-driven computational mechanics and materials: Scientific machine learning and generative approaches for multiscale modeling, computational mechanics, and next-generation materials.
  • Intelligent and adaptive infrastructure: AI-enabled design, digital twins, and autonomous operation of energy, industrial, transportation, and interconnected infrastructure systems that face unpredictable futures.
  • Water, energy, and environmental systems: AI-driven advances in modeling and optimization of hydrological, subsurface, and coastal systems, air quality, fluid–structure interactions, water–energy systems, and coupled natural–engineered systems under changing environmental conditions and climate extremes.

We strongly encourage candidates whose research advances scientifically rigorous AI methods while addressing fundamental and consequential challenges in civil and environmental engineering. 

Candidates working across traditional disciplinary boundaries are strongly encouraged to apply.

Rice CEE offers a highly collaborative research environment, with opportunities for interdisciplinary engagement across the School of Engineering and Computing and the broader university. Successful candidates will be expected to establish a nationally and internationally recognized, externally funded research program; contribute to undergraduate and graduate education; mentor students and researchers; and engage in collaborative research and professional service.

Qualifications: Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in civil or environmental engineering or a closely related field by the time of appointment. Candidates must demonstrate excellence or exceptional promise in research, teaching, and mentoring.

Application Instructions

  • This opportunity is part of a school-wide search for two tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in AI for Sustainability and Resilience. 
  • Candidates interested in a primary appointment in Civil and Environmental Engineering should apply through the central Rice University posting and indicate Civil and Environmental Engineering as their first preferred home department.
  • Apply at: https://apply.interfolio.com/195709
  • For full consideration, applications should be received by December 1, 2026. Review will continue until the positions are filled.
  • Applications must include a curriculum vitae, research statement (up to five pages), teaching philosophy statement (up to two pages), and contact information for three to five professional references.
  • Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.