Assistant Professor in Aerospace Engineering

Role Title: Assistant Professor in Aerospace Engineering

Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £38,448 - £48,337 per annum

FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35hrs per week) Open-ended

Reward and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

We welcome applications for one position at Assistant Professor level to join the Aerospace Engineering teaching cluster within the Mechanical Engineering Teaching discipline at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. We are seeking a talented and highly motivated colleague to join our thriving global community of academics. We invite applications from industry or academics with relevant experience for an open-ended Assistant Professorship (Teaching and Educational Enhancement) position.

We are looking for candidates with expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Aerodynamics, including wind-tunnel testing and the application of commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software.
• Flight mechanics and aerospace control systems, including flight dynamics, stability and control, autonomous systems, and the modelling of aerospace systems.
• Space systems and/or space propulsion, including spacecraft and satellite systems, space mission design, launch vehicle technologies, and emerging space technologies.

The successful candidate will be required to lead and contribute to the delivery and assessment of a number of undergraduate, and postgraduate taught courses within Aerospace Engineering, part of the Mechanical Engineering discipline, specifically as part of our highly successful MEng Aerospace Engineering and BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering programmes Courses that the successful candidate may contribute to could include: ‘Aerodynamics and Aircraft Performance’, ‘Flight Mechanics and Aerospace Design’, ‘Spacecraft Systems’, ‘Flight Control, Systems and Testing’, and ‘Space Mission Design’. The successful candidate will also be expected to demonstrate flexibility in contributing to the teaching of a broad range of aerospace engineering subjects, as appropriate to the programme needs.

Teaching will involve the delivery of lectures, tutorials, and practical classes and may involve organisation of external expert speakers and field trips (e.g. to industry). It will be expected that the role holder will reflect on the delivery of courses and enhance and develop courses based on student feedback. Supervision of desk and lab-based research project students will also be required. The successful candidate will also be a personal tutor to undergraduate, and postgraduate taught students.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be based at our Edinburgh UK campus. Reporting to the Global Head of Mechanical Engineering, responsibilities include:

• Delivery of taught content of the Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering programmes (lectures, tutorials, workshops and laboratories) as directed by the Global Head of the Mechanical Engineering Discipline, and this may include topics across all aerospace/mechanical engineering subjects as well as the job holder’s specialist area.

• Act as personal tutor to assigned tutees.

• Supporting undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and other relevant areas by carrying out assessment and moderation of coursework and examination marking as required.

• Further developing existing learning materials in aerospace/mechanical engineering related subjects. This may include, but is not limited to, course notes, video podcasts and course assessments.

• Engaging in administrative tasks within the School’s teaching ambitions and initiatives.

Person Specification

These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be made.

Essential

1. A good first degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline.

2. Expertise in either Aerodynamics, Flight mechanics and aerospace control systems, or Space systems and/or space propulsion.

3. Ability to communicate engineering concepts clearly to various audience profiles.

4. Experience in teaching and assessment of undergraduate and graduate engineering students in aerospace engineering topics.

5. Excellent oral and written communication, team working and organisational skills.

6. Commitment to adopting principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Desirable

1. A higher degree (PhD/MSc) in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline.

2. Chartered Engineer and Member of the IMechE – or equivalent engineering institution.

3. Experience of developing/delivering training/teaching material.

4. Relevant industrial experience, or evidence of engagement with industry.

5. A Postgraduate certificate in teaching in higher education.

6. Familiarity with online communication tools such as Teams, Canvas and/or Blackboard.

How to Apply

Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV

Applications can be submitted until 23:55 on Friday 20^th November 2026.

We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore encourage you to submit your application promptly.

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.