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The KAUST–UT Austin Academic Excellence Alliance (AEA), a partnership between the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES) at The University of Texas at Austin, invites applications for faculty positions at KAUST in Earth Sciences and Engineering. We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in modeling and simulation, though outstanding candidates in all areas will be considered. We seek exceptional scientists to fill at least 10 faculty positions across all ranks (assistant, associate, and full professor) at the new KAUST campus on the Red Sea in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
KAUST (http://www.kaust.edu.sa) is being established as a world-class international graduate-level science and technology research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom that will also benefit the region and the world. The KAUST mission emphasizes research on applications of science and technology to problems of human need, social advancement, and economic development, in collaboration with leading universities around the world. KAUST is dedicated to a respect for diversity and the highest standards of merit-based opportunity, and seeks the finest students and faculty without regard to nationality, gender, or religious belief.
KAUST is an independent university that is governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees and supported by one of the largest endowments of any university in the world. It reinvents the modern research university by organizing research within advanced research centers that focus on interdisciplinary problems, and offering only graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) degrees. The 13 initial research centers are organized under four research thrusts: Resources, Energy and Environment; Biosciences and Bioengineering; Materials Science and Engineering; and Applied Mathematics and Computational Science. KAUST’s new multi-billion-dollar state-of-the-art campus will open its doors to students in Fall 2009. The campus includes a seaside town with housing, shops, schools, and numerous recreational amenities.
The KAUST–UT Austin AEA was formed to build a leading research program at KAUST in computational earth sciences and engineering. Areas of interest include seismology and geophysics, subsurface flow and transport, atmospheric, environmental, and ocean sciences, geomechanics, carbon sequestration, and geochemistry, in addition to advanced mathematical and computational techniques for the earth sciences. The AEA will facilitate collaboration among faculty, researchers, and students at the two universities via short- and long-term visits and support for collaborative research projects between KAUST faculty and UT faculty from ICES, the Jackson School of Geosciences, and the Cockrell School of Engineering. In particular, KAUST faculty will have the opportunity to conduct research as Visiting Fellows at UT-Austin prior to the opening of the campus in Fall 2009.
We are seeking faculty with the ability to build world-class research programs, depth in one or more of the above areas, interests in conducting research on interdisciplinary problems, and an ability to teach graduate courses in fundamental earth science areas and/or in computational methods in the earth sciences. Applicants must have a PhD in earth sciences, engineering, applied mathematics, computational science, or a related field. The unrivaled resources available to KAUST faculty— including security of research funding, state-of-the-art laboratories, a KAUST-IBM petascale computing research center, an advanced visualization facility, assured support for graduate students, postdocs, and technicians, generous travel allowances, and world-class salaries and benefits– offer the opportunity to focus on building leading research programs without the uncertainties and overheads experienced elsewhere. To be considered for a faculty position, please send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statements of research and teaching interests, and contact information for at least four references to kaust.aea@ices.utexas.edu. Review of applications is ongoing and will continue until all positions are filled. Questions may be directed to Professor Omar Ghattas, Director of the KAUST–UT Austin AEA, at the above e-mail address.