George Soulis Chair in Systems Design Engineering

The Department of Systems Design Engineering (SYDE) in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo invites applications for the position of George Soulis Chair in Systems Design Engineering (Soulis Chair). This tenured/tenure-track position will likely be filled at the rank of Associate or Full Professor. The successful candidate will be a licensed professional engineer or eligible to be a licensed professional engineer and hold a PhD. The salary will be commensurate with experience in the range of $145,000 to $224,000. Applications will be accepted until October 15, 2022 (extended from the original deadline of September 15). Anticipated start date is July 1, 2023.

The Soulis Chair will possess significant engineering design experience in their scholarship and pedagogy focused on engineering design. The Chair will act as a leader and advocate for advancing methods of teaching holistic design of complex (or integrated) systems while emphasizing a commitment to design fundamentals. The Chair should possess a vision for the future of engineering design methodology that advances equity, sustainability, ethics, creativity, entrepreneurship, and community empowerment. Using a systems perspective, the Chair will have a body of work that focuses on solutions to the world's complex problems in the 21st century. The application focus may be within any of our transdisciplinary research areas in socio-environmental systems; biomedical engineering; human factors; and intelligent, mechatronic, and physical systems. Examples of global challenges include but are not limited to sustainable water, energy, and food systems; climate change; transportation; and equitable communities including healthy aging.

System designs that cross over traditional problem domains are desirable. The department encourages different ways of knowing and recognizes alternative forms of scholarship which may be embodied in the portfolio of work of the Soulis Chair. Our programs emphasize experiential student learning through workshop-based design teaching. We seek a Chair that will establish (or continue) an active program of scholarship including design practice or pedagogy in the engineering design context.  

Interested candidates should submit the following by email in a single pdf document:

  1. a cover letter;
  2. current curriculum vitae;
  3. a statement of scholarship that includes accomplishments and goals in research and practice, highlighting important outcomes, or publications for committee review;
  4. a statement of teaching philosophy, experience, and approaches;
  5. a diversity impact statement that addresses how the management of the candidate’s research/teaching program will advance the university’s goals around equity, diversity, and inclusion goals; and
  6. names and contact information for at least three references, who will not be contacted without prior notification to the candidate.

The link to apply for this position is:  https://uwaterloo.ca/engineering/soulis-chair-application .  The cover letter is to be addressed to:
Professor Lisa Aultman-Hall
Chair of Search Committee, Department of Systems Design Engineering

Systems Design Engineering encompasses the application of mathematics and science to solve problems using human-focused design and a system-based approach. SYDE was established in 1969 and has over 1000 undergraduate students, 188 master’s and PhD students, and 35 faculty members. We are proud of the many successful entrepreneurs who have graduated from the department, where they were exposed to a design- and system-focused curriculum. SYDE is the lead department in the Faculty’s interdisciplinary Biomedical Engineering program and a strong partner in the Mechatronics and Nanotechnology programs. The Faculty of Engineering’s Ideas Clinic, the Sedra Student Design Centre and the Centre for Society Technology and Values are of importance for this Chair’s leadership role. 

The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering is Canada’s largest engineering school, ranking among the top 50 engineering school worldwide, and bringing in more than $96 million in research funding per year. The University of Waterloo has 42,000 students and 220,000 alumni in 151 countries. It is home to 74 Canada Research Chairs and is well-known for its 100% creator-owned IP policy. Operating world-renowned co-operative education programs, Waterloo partners with more than 7,000 employers worldwide. Faculty have the opportunity to work across disciplines and collaborate with a diverse community of scholars and students. The campus covers 1,000 acres in the heart of the City of Waterloo. The Region of Waterloo, with a population of 600,000, is an hour west of Toronto, with its global-hub airport.

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Indigenous Initiatives Office.

The University of Waterloo values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism, and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as Indigenous peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis, Inuit/Inuk), Black, racialized, people with disabilities, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Dr. Aultman-Hall at laultman@uwaterloo.ca. If you have any questions regarding the position, the application process, the assessment process, or eligibility, please contact Dr. Aultman-Hall at laultman@uwaterloo.ca. 

While all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Three reasons to apply: https://uwaterloo.ca/faculty-association/why-waterloo.