Assistant Professor - Smart Machine and Robotics Systems Engineering
Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on:
July 31, 2025
If a date is not listed above, review the Applicant Instructions below for more details.
Available Title(s):
270-NN_FACULTY - Assistant Professor
Business Title:
Assistant Professor - Smart Machine and Robotics Systems Engineering
Employee Type:
Faculty
Position Term:
9 Month
Position Details:
OPPORTUNITY:
We have an opening for an Assistant Professor position to join our nationally and internationally recognized Agricultural and Automation Engineering Researchers at the Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems (CPAAS). This is a tenure-track position in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) within the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences (CAHNRS) at Washington State University (WSU). We are seeking a dynamic, motivated, and problem- solving Research Leader in Smart Machine and Robotics Systems Engineering to join an extraordinary team of engineers, scientists, educators and extension experts within the university. This 9-month tenure-track position is located on the Prosser campus of WSU's Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) and will start on January 1, 2026, or as negotiated. The successful candidate will develop a competitive and independent agriculture industry-relevant research program and contribute to teaching, outreach and extension activities to advance the missions of CPAAS, BSE, and CAHNRS.
The successful candidate will provide statewide leadership in agricultural automation and robotics to support the agricultural industry in the region. The candidate will establish a strong connection and collaboration with the industry, ensuring that the research contributes to, and has a positive impact on Washington agriculture. The candidate will be expected to contribute to the training and education of graduate students. The candidate may also develop and offer undergraduate or/and graduate courses based on the needs of the department. The successful applicant will have familiarity working with different cultural and socioeconomic groups, and interest in working with a multi-disciplinary team of faculty and with people from diverse backgrounds. This position will report to the BSE Department Chair and CPAAS Director.
The Department of Biological Systems Engineering aims to discover and apply scientific and engineering principles and methods to the processes of our natural world and provide advanced graduate education to engineering professionals. BSE has an annual research expenditure of about $7.5 million, with about 115 peer-reviewed publications produced each year, and an average faculty research expenditure of $417,000. The number of graduate students range from 60-75 in a given year. Nine of our faculty members are among the 60 most cited researchers at WSU. The four emphasis areas are Agricultural Automation Engineering, Food Engineering, Bioenergy and Bioproducts Engineering, and Land, Air, Water Resources & Environmental Engineering. Agricultural Automation Engineers work to provide engineering solutions to crop production problems in agriculture. From seed to table, our researchers collaborate with the growers, harvesters, food processors and supporting industries to develop new technologies for the economic growth and sustainability of agriculture.
The Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems (CPAAS) on the WSU Prosser campus offers a trans-disciplinary framework for precision/smart agriculture and automation efforts at WSU. CPAAS is housed in a 25,000 sq. ft. building with offices and laboratories, including a machinery systems lab, a robotics and electronics lab, a remote sensing and decision support lab, and a computer vision and automation lab. The building also includes CNC machining, a lathe, a shop space with 5-ton crane to move prototypes across the fabrication area, and a class/meeting room equipped with tele- and video-communication facilities. In 2024, CPAAS established a two-acre apple orchard for technology demonstration, validation and industry engagement. The CPAAS facilities provide the capability to design, fabricate, and test integrated robotic, automated, and precision agriculture related equipment systems. The candidate will have laboratory equipment and research space available at CPAAS.
Washington State's 15 million acres of farmland produce 300 different crops. The state's diverse geography and mesoclimates create an endless variety of growing regions, from the moist hillsides and valleys on the west side of the state to the fertile, rolling plains of eastern Washington. Washington ranks first in the nation for production of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil and sweet cherries, and second in apricots, asparagus, grapes, potatoes and raspberries.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The successful candidate will establish an extramurally funded, nationally recognized program in Smart Machine and Robotics Systems Engineering, to address the needs of the agricultural industry. The program will focus on developing smart, automated, and autonomous agricultural machinery technologies for efficient production management in various crops, especially the perennial, irrigated specialty crops. These smart systems should work in all-weather scenarios, often collaboratively, and should address key labor constraints, machine efficiency, and operational challenges faced by existing systems, and by industry stakeholders during crop production management as well as during harvest. The research program should be developed in collaboration with the industry stakeholders to address the agricultural needs of the region. The stakeholder education efforts should focus on translating technology developed by our own program (CPAAS), as well as that developed by private industry, to the grower stakeholders through the developed research program, extension and outreach activities, and cooperation with our Extension programs.
The candidate should have a background in mechanical engineering and/or mechatronics, and experience in developing AI driven robotic technologies/solutions for use in agriculture. The candidate will write grant proposals to secure extramural funds from state, regional and national sources, private foundations, and/or companies. The candidate may be expected to develop and teach undergraduate and/or graduate courses based on the needs of the department. The candidate will advise graduate students and disseminate research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals and at scientific conferences and stakeholder meetings. Other expectations include student mentoring, and service to the center, university, college and department and professional organizations.