Job Description:

The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) at Auburn University seeks applications for a full-time, Visiting Research professor (Associate or Full) whose primary role would be related to the research of mass timber and cross laminated timber (CLT) and its use in architectural design and construction. The appointment is for a research position that would include a limited teaching component, including the development of new courses related to mass timber. The hire is being made in conjunction with a similar position in the McWhorter School of Building Science. Both Schools are located in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) at Auburn University. Respective candidates would be expected to encourage collaboration between the design and construction disciplines within the CADC. This is a three-year appointment, continuation of which is contingent on external funding for research related to mass timber.
As a public land-grant institution, Auburn University's mission is based on instruction, research, and outreach that is engaged with the state's constituents and resources. More than 70% of the State of Alabama is forested, and the wood products industry figures prominently in the State's economy and cultural memory. Alabama is a national leader in the production and innovation of engineered wood products, including mass timber. To date, research efforts related to mass timber have largely been the purview of the engineering and forestry disciplines; there is, however, an imperative for applied research that demonstrates the deployment of this material system in the built environment. Candidates for this position would be expected to investigate new opportunities for the design, assembly and project delivery methods related to mass timber and CLT to better understand and enhance its regional and global economic, ecological, and social benefits There is an expectation that the candidate will pursue external funds to support the work.
The School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture (APLA) has a 110-year history of educating professionals in the fields of architecture, interior architects, landscape architects, and environmental design. The school contributes to the region and to the profession through outreach, scholarship and creative work. APLA resides in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction along with the School of Industrial and Graphic Design and the McWhorter School of Building Science. Collaborative opportunities for research between faculty and students in the schools are numerous and strongly encouraged.
The Robins & Morton Field Lab at the McWhorter School of Building Science will be used for teaching and research for both undergraduate and graduate students, and is available for collaborative projects with faculty and students from APLA. The lab features a new high-bay facility with overhead hoisting capacity, as well as a variety of equipment, storage, and classroom facilities, all of which could be utilized in the applied research of mass timber, CLT, and other prefabricated building components.