Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering - Embedded systems

Position Rank and Title: Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering

School/Department Name: Electrical Engineering

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $106,000 - $126,000

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector. See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 17, 2027

Application Deadline: December 1, 2026 (Applications accepted until filled or closed)

Position Description

The Department of Electrical Engineering at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for a tenure-track Assistant Professor beginning in August 2027. We seek candidates with expertise in Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), System-On-a-Chip (SOC), artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), Radio Frequency (RF) hardware, and embedded systems. The successful candidate will be required to teach undergraduate and graduate electrical engineering courses and maintain an active research program in these areas. The EE Department encourages and celebrates multidisciplinary research that solves real-world problems, including but not limited to food scarcity, assistive technologies, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation.

Located in the center of Silicon Valley, the Department of Electrical Engineering at SJSU has established a firm goal of providing a high-quality electrical engineering education to its students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The department offers classroom instruction by the best-qualified EE faculty, hands-on experience in industry-sponsored, state-of-the-art laboratories, and opportunities for industry internships. The department has over 800 undergraduate students, 20 SAGE (accelerated master's in EE) students, and 190 graduate students. Both the EE undergraduate and graduate programs help students gain professional experience while taking classes. In conjunction with their classes, many students work as Instructional Student Assistants and Teaching Associates in the department, and as EE interns at Silicon Valley firms. Our graduates enjoy excellent career opportunities in a broad spectrum of theoretical and practical areas such as device physics, micro and nano electronics, analog electronics, integrated circuits, communications, signal processing, network and network security, mobile network, power electronics, energy systems, microprocessors and computer systems, embedded systems, control, robotics, autonomous systems, machine learning and deep learning, quantum information and quantum computing. The Department of Electrical Engineering website is at www.sjsu.edu/ee/.

Department Resources & Infrastructure

• Micro Processing Engineering Laboratory (MPEL): Offers hands-on facilities for oxidation/diffusion, contact and maskless photolithography, IC testing, wet/dry etching, and a minor in semiconductor fabrication. The facility has a strong tradition of workforce development. (MPEL Website)
• Advanced Characterization Equipment: Access to MCMC SEM, Atomic Force Microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, and 3-D Optical Profilometry.
• Specialized Laboratories:
  • Charles Babbage Synopsys Laboratory: Servers and Software
  • Cadence Design Systems Laboratory: Servers and Software
  • Teradyne: Memory ATE Laboratory
  • LitePoint Corporation: RF Antenna Pattern Test Chamber
  • E&M and microwave: VNA, ANSYS software
  • Cheadle RF Communications Laboratory: Spectrum Analyzer, Logic Analyzer, Time Synthesizer, Vector Signal Generator, Network Analyzer

Consortia, Hubs & Academic Partnerships

• Member of the California-Pacific-Northwest AI Hardware Hub and the Edge Consortium
• NNME Pacific-Intermountain Regional Node
• Collaborative facilities, including Stanford SNF and Berkeley Marvell Nano Lab
• Extensive relationships with local community colleges

The Department has numerous corporate sponsors, and faculty have access to research development support through the Division of Research and Innovation and teaching and career development support through the Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching and Innovation (CFETI).

The Department of Electrical Engineering at San José State University values institutional excellence and is committed to advancing equity through research, teaching, and service. We enroll more than 40,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved; approximately 45% of our undergraduates are first-generation, and 38% are Pell Grant recipients. In addition, we are both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). SJSU aspires to create holistic learning environments that facilitate both individual and collective transformation. We seek teacher-scholars who cultivate inclusive, empowering spaces for mutual learning, skill-building, and knowledge exchange for all students. Our commitment to lifelong learning supports meaningful connections among faculty, staff, students, alums, and the broader communities we serve.

We invite all applicants to include a Statement of Institutional Excellence (or incorporate it into your cover letter) to share how your lived and professional experiences will contribute to the SJSU community—particularly in relation to student success. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Institutional Excellence Statement Guidelines.

Required Qualifications

• Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or Electrical and Computer Engineering by the start of the appointment.
• Applicants must have a research background in Embedded Systems, ASIC, and SOC design.
• Applicants must have a strong commitment, demonstrate potential for teaching excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and engage in curriculum development.
• Applicants should demonstrate awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population, as might have been gained through cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Postdoctoral experience in academia or industry
• Experience mentoring undergraduate and/or graduate research students.
• Experience adapting teaching methods to a variety of learning environments.
• Involved in safety compliance across high-risk, multi-variable industrial or academic environments

Key Responsibilities

• Faculty member is expected to teach, supervise, and advise students in both undergraduate and graduate programs, to provide leadership in developing modern curriculum in Embedded Systems, System on Chip, ASIC, with applications in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Robotics; to establish a research program related to their field of interest; and to seek external partnership, funding, and/or collaboration with Silicon Valley and beyond.
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually through departmental, college, and university committees and other service assignments with a special emphasis on assessment.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness of and experience with the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution.

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents (3-page limit on each document):

• letter of interest (1-page limit)
• curriculum vitae (3-page limit)
• institutional excellence statement (dedicated statement or addressed in letter of interest) (1-page limit)
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy (1-page limit)
• research plans (2-page limit)
• three references with contact information

Inquiries may be directed to the Department Chair, Professor David W. Parent, David.Parent@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to California Education Code 89521, applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended. Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant’s current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.

Conditional Offer

The work for this faculty position may only be performed in the State of California and requires establishing an on-campus presence. Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of background and reference checks (including criminal records and prior employment) is required. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background and reference checks reveal disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background and reference checks may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally for research funding and ranks second in research productivity within the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination based on Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.