Chair and Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Description

Applications are invited for the position of Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) at Vanderbilt University.  This position seeks an accomplished visionary leader dedicated to overseeing a department committed to impactful research and innovative educational programs. A strong record in research, education, mentorship, and service is required. The next Chair is expected to direct ChBE during a time of historic growth and expansion for both ChBE and the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt.

The search is open to all areas; however, candidates with research interests applied to areas of energy storage and conversion, catalysis and separations, electrochemical engineering, advanced materials, and manufacturing are of particular interest. Applicants for this tenured Professor position will be eligible for the endowed John R. Hall Chair in Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt.

Housed in the School of Engineering, the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt (http://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/chbe/) includes 14 primary faculty (11 tenured/tenure-track of which 3 are PECASE awardees and 4 are NSF CAREER recipients) serving over 130 undergraduate students and more than 50 graduate students The department maintains a vibrant research environment with annual research expenditures in excess of $8M and has steadily climbed the USNWR graduate rankings. Our department is consistently ranked as one of the top five chemical engineering departments in the U.S. with fifteen or fewer faculty.

Our department is located a short walk from Vanderbilt's other engineering and science departments and is adjacent to the Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE), a nucleus for nanoscale materials research at Vanderbilt. It is one of numerous interdisciplinary centers and institutes on campus (https://research.vanderbilt.edu/centers-institutes/) that offers comprehensive and state-of-the-art core facilities and means for engagement across departments. ChBE also maintains a close affiliation with the Vanderbilt School of Medicine (VUSM), which was ranked fifth by the U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of top medical schools for research, benefiting from the promixity of ChBE and VUSM on the same campus. The highly collaborative environment at Vanderbilt is additionally supported by three new interdisciplinary centers within the School of Engineering:  the Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Climate and Energy (https://www.vanderbilt.edu/climate/), the Vanderbilt Lab for Immersive AI Translation (https://www.vanderbilt.edu/valiant/), and the Vanderbilt Institute for National Security (https://www.vanderbilt.edu/national-security/).

Ranked #17 nationally, Vanderbilt University is a private, internationally recognized research university located on 330 park-like acres 1.5 miles from downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Its 11 distinct schools share a single cohesive campus that values collaboration. The university enrolls over 13,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, including more than 25% minority students and over 10% international students from 84 countries. The School of Engineering and College of Connected Computing together comprise nearly 120 tenured and tenure-track faculty, with a total research expenditure of $90 million and teach 1500 undergraduate and over 700 graduate and professional students across all programs.

Nashville is Tennessee’s capital, with a metro population of over two million people. It is an international destination for the arts, entrepreneurship, and scientific research, thereby attracting world-renowned scholars to Vanderbilt and the broader community.  Nashville has been named one of the 15 best U.S. cities for work and family by Fortune magazine, was ranked as the #1 most popular U.S. city for corporate relocations by Expansion Management magazine, and ranked in the top tier as best performing cities in 2024 for sustainable growth and resilience by the Milken Institute. Nashville’s top industries by employment include trade, transportation and utilities; education and health services; professional and business services; government; and leisure and hospitality. Other industries include manufacturing, financial activities, construction, and information. Long known as a hub for health care and music, the greater Nashville area is a technology center with a considerable pool of health care, AI, EV, and defense-related jobs available. The city has experienced an influx of major office openings by some of the largest global tech companies and prime Silicon Valley startups attracted by its quality of life. Nashville is home to more than 100 stand-alone parks, and a quick drive away from the Great Smoky Mountains, offering many opportunities for enjoying the outdoors. In addition to the nearby greenways, scenic hiking routes, and historic riverfront, Vanderbilt’s park-like campus is an accredited arboretum with more than 200 different species.

Qualifications

We seek a leader who will move the department forward with a strong record of mentorship, community building, and support of others. The ideal candidate exhibits outstanding scholarship and a collegial, transparent, collaborative yet decisive, and empowering leadership style. The potential candidate must be an innovative, inclusive, and forward-looking leader with significant recognition for high-impact scholarship in chemical engineering or a related area, a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research and education, and must have comprehensive leadership acumen in mentoring faculty, staff, and students. The department chair must effectively communicate the department’s goals and vision internally, across departments, with the dean and university leadership, and with external stakeholders, including alumni and donors. Candidates must also bring a nationally and internationally recognized and well-funded research program that will strengthen one or more of the areas of research excellence in the university. Ultimately, the department chair must be committed to Vanderbilt University’s mission to bring out the best in humanity by pushing new ideas into the frontiers of discovery and working diligently to serve others.

Application Instructions

• Application materials are to be submitted to https://apply.interfolio.com/174359 and must include:
• 1) a cover letter,
• 2) a complete curriculum vitae, and

3) a statement that addresses the applicant's leadership experience/philosophy, and a vision for the future of ChBE.

References will be requested at a later date. 

Review of applications will begin upon receipt with applications received by November 15, 2025 undergoing priority review. All applications received by December 1, 2025 will receive full consideration. Please address questions to Professor Paul Laibinis, Chair of ChBE, by email to paul.e.laibinis@vanderbilt.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Vanderbilt University shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR §§ 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a) and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.