Assistant Professor (Material Science and Engineering)
Content + Source + Freshness • 14 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
Offer value
This position holds a very high value due to the prestige of MIT, competitive salary, and significant research opportunities in cutting-edge materials engineering.
- Tenure-track position at MIT with comprehensive research support
- Competitive salary range of $140,000 - $150,000
- Exploration of critical societal challenges through advanced materials
Pros
- Tenure-track position at one of the world’s leading institutions
- Access to state-of-the-art facilities and extensive resources
- Opportunities to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects with significant societal impact
Cons
- High competition for tenure-track roles
- Expectations for groundbreaking research output
- Potential for work-life balance challenges due to intense academic culture
Who it's for
Early to Mid-Career • On-site
Good fit
- Aspiring professors in materials science and engineering
- Innovative thinkers with a penchant for academic research
- Collaborators seeking to impact technology and society
Not recommended for
- Candidates lacking a PhD or significant research initiatives
- Those preferring solitary work over collaboration
- Individuals desiring teaching-only positions
Motivation fit
Key skills
About the job
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) together with the Schwarzman College of Computing (SCC) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, seeks candidates at the level of tenure-track Assistant Professor to begin July 1, 2026 or on a mutually agreed date thereafter.
Materials engineering has always benefitted from theoretical and computational approaches to unveil relationships between structure, properties, processing, and performance. Recent advances in computing, including but not limited to artificial intelligence, are poised to dramatically advance the understanding and design of complex matter. DMSE and SCC jointly seek candidates with experience and interest in combining fundamental scientific principles with algorithmic innovations to empower discovery, understanding, and synthesis of materials with applications across critical societal domains --- healthcare, manufacturing, energy, sustainability, climate, and next-generation computing. This search encompasses all materials classes and scales, and is open to candidates with industry and start-up experience. Candidates are expected to develop research programs that target innovation in computational approaches well-suited to materials science and engineering research.
The successful candidate will have a shared appointment in both the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and SCC in either the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) or the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), depending on best fit.
Faculty duties include teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, advising students, conducting original scholarly research, and developing course materials at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Candidates are expected to teach in both the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and in the educational programs of SCC. The normal teaching load is two subjects per year.
Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, or a related field. A PhD is required by the start of employment. The pay range for a 9-month academic appointment at the entry-level Assistant Professor rank (excluding summer salary): $140,000 - $150,000. The pay offered to a selected candidate during hiring will be based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's work experience and education/training, internal peer equity, and applicable legal requirements. These factors impact where an individual's pay falls within a range. Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check, including verifying any finding of misconduct (or pending investigation) from prior employers.
Applications should include: (a) curriculum vitae, (b) research statement, (c) a teaching and mentoring plan. Each candidate should also include the names and contact information of 3 reference letter writers, who should upload their letters of recommendation by November 30, 2025.
Please submit online applications to https://faculty-searches.mit.edu/dmse_scc/register.tcl . To receive full consideration, completed applications must be submitted by November 30, 2025.
MIT is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from individuals from all identities and backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive equitable consideration for employment based on their experience and qualifications and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, or national or ethnic origin. See MIT's full policy on nondiscrimination. Know your rights .
