Job Details

Position Overview

Position title: Assistant Professor

Salary range: $107,100 – $157,800 (9‑month academic year salary). Off‑scale salary and other components may be offered to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start: July 1 2026

Application Window

Open date: October 21 2025

Next review date: Monday, Dec 15 2025 at 11:59 pm (Pacific Time). Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Monday, Dec 15 2025 at 11:59 pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Position Description

The Department of Materials Science (MSE) at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a tenure‑track Assistant Professor position in the area of materials for a sustainable society, with an expected start date of July 1 2026. Outstanding candidates should demonstrate the potential to build a world‑class research program in materials science and engineering with a focus on addressing important challenges in sustainability and environmental issues facing society, including climate change; sustainability in the full materials lifecycle from extraction to production to design for circularity; materials criticality, upcycling and recycling; mining and novel processing; and energy conversion, harvesting, and storage.

Candidates are encouraged to explore diverse and non‑traditional experiences in science and engineering, including expertise in techno‑economic analysis as well as areas of data‑driven science, language processing and automation, to ensure widespread adoption of engineering solutions. Innovations and needs in this area span the full breadth of materials science, from soft to hard matter, inorganic to organic systems, and encompass synthesis, processing, characterization, fabrication, and integration. These efforts will profoundly shape materials research and technology for decades to come.

UC Berkeley's Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) advances the understanding and design of materials through an interdisciplinary blend of chemistry, physics, and engineering, pairing rigorous fundamentals with modern, application‑driven approaches and abundant research opportunities for students and collaborators.

The department is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual‑career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non‑traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit:

Department

Qualifications

Basic qualifications

PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree‑granting program at the time of application.

Preferred qualifications

Successful candidates should demonstrate a strong commitment to education, a supportive teaching and research environment, mentorship of students, and service to the campus and the materials science and engineering profession worldwide.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated C.V.

• Cover Letter.

• Research Interests Statement (3 page limit) – Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans. This can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, and areas for future research.

• Teaching and Mentoring Statement – Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests. This can include, for example, specific efforts and accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Please also discuss your mentoring experiences and approach, including how you foster an inclusive research environment that removes barriers and promotes equitable access and advancement of the research program.

• Service Statement – Please discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities. This can include, for example, participating in professional or scientific associations, serving on committees that advance department, campus or discipline goals, and conducting outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase participation of academics in your field.

• Authorization to Release Information Form – A reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the Authorization to Release Information form.

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Apply link:

Help contact: ...@lists.berkeley.edu

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy (APM 210 1-d). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery, and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to the University of California's affirmative action and nondiscrimination in employment policy and the University of California's anti‑discrimination policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

Job location

Berkeley, CA