Western Carolina University

Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

About WCU: Western Carolina University continues to rank high on Forbes 'Best Employers' lists each year. Including:

• 2025 – Ranked 1st in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes 'America's Best Employers by State' list.
• 2024 – Ranking in the top 8.5% on Forbes 'America's Best Midsize Employers' list, WCU was ranked 34 out of the top 400 employers across all industries.
• 2023 – Ranked in the top 20% on Forbes 'America's Best Midsize Employers' list, WCU was ranked 97 out of the top 500 employers across all industries.
• 2022 – Ranked 14th in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes 'America's Best Employers by State' list.

Western Carolina University is the UNC system's westernmost campus and has been consistently ranked as one of the top 15 public regional institutions in the South.

Employees of WCU are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other resources, policies and programs to ensure a happy and healthy work/life balance. Benefit eligible employees have access to dental, vision and health insurance plans – eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire. Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. Optional disability plans are also available.

Eligible employees have access to tuition waivers for up to three courses per academic year; employee may enroll at any of the constituent UNC System campuses. Also offered are free group exercise classes multiple times per week, a discounted membership to the campus recreation center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays and 24 hours of paid community service leave each year. Leave earning employees (staff and 12-month faculty) who work at least half of the working days of their first month of employment will begin accruing vacation and sick leave immediately. Paid parental leave after 12 months of continuous service.

WCU offers an abundance of training and development programs, certifications, workshops and conferences – many of which are offered free of charge.

Position Summary: The primary location of this position is on-site in Cullowhee, NC. Those serving in this position should expect periodic travel to partner manufacturing site in North Carolina. Remote work is not available.

This is a full-time, 12-month, time-limited, grant-funded appointment anticipated to begin on or about January 1, 2027 and continue through June 30, 2029. Renewal is expected to occur annually and is contingent on satisfactory performance and continued funding.

The primary purpose of this position is to conduct postdoctoral research supporting the digital twin workstream of the Personalized Federated Learning Framework for Advanced Manufacturing Environments. The position develops, calibrates, and validates digital twin simulation models for manufacturing equipment, processes, and material behavior; integrates machine learning capabilities within the digital twin and federated learning environment; and supports evaluation and deployment of the framework at industry partner sites.

The position also contributes to scholarly publications, project deliverables, student mentoring, curriculum modules, and hands-on training activities as a member of a joint Western Carolina University and North Carolina State University research team. The position reports to the project principal investigator.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of modeling and simulation methods for physical or manufacturing systems, including digital twin development, model calibration, uncertainty quantification, and statistical validation.
• Ability to integrate machine learning or data-driven analytical methods into simulation and manufacturing environments using Python and a modern deep learning framework such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Ability to plan, conduct, document, and communicate independent and collaborative research through technical reports, project deliverables, peer-reviewed manuscripts, presentations, and partner-facing discussions.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, student researchers, university collaborators, and industry partners; safely operate around production manufacturing equipment; and travel periodically to partner sites within North Carolina.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required for this position:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Interested candidates must already be legally authorized to work in the United States and will not require any immigration sponsorship or support.
• A Ph.D. (by the effective date of appointment) in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a closely related field — with demonstrated research experience in the modeling and simulation of physical or manufacturing systems, supporting experience in machine learning or data-driven analysis, and a record of peer-reviewed publications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience validating simulation models against instrumented equipment or production data.
• Edge computing platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson), embedded systems, or real-time control.
• Federated or distributed machine learning, or privacy-preserving analytics.
• Experience deploying research systems in operational or production settings.

Position Type: Time-Limited Full-Time

Special Instructions to Applicants: Application materials must be submitted online. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until a candidate has been selected for hire. Please include the following:

• letter of application (cover letter)
• current CV
• samples of at least two transactions or journal publications at high impact factors venues.
• statement of research and scholarship goals (no more than two pages)
• list of publications
• statement of mentoring and student engagement goals
• list of three professional references with complete contact information
• unofficial transcripts showing degree conferral dates for all degrees at the master's degree level and higher*

For questions or additional information please contact Dr. Islam Elgarhy at ielgarhy@wcu.edu

*All applicants are required to submit an unofficial transcript of their highest attained degree, showing all completed coursework and the date the degree was conferred. The transcript must state Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred, or a similar phrase. For candidates who are ABD, please submit your most recent doctoral program transcript along with your master's degree transcript, if you hold such a degree. The master's degree transcript must have a notation such as Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred, or a similar phrase, to verify it as your highest completed degree.

Western Carolina University

Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

About WCU: Western Carolina University continues to rank high on Forbes 'Best Employers' lists each year. Including:

• 2025 – Ranked 1st in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes 'America's Best Employers by State' list.
• 2024 – Ranking in the top 8.5% on Forbes 'America's Best Midsize Employers' list, WCU was ranked 34 out of the top 400 employers across all industries.
• 2023 – Ranked in the top 20% on Forbes 'America's Best Midsize Employers' list, WCU was ranked 97 out of the top 500 employers across all industries.
• 2022 – Ranked 14th in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes 'America's Best Employers by State' list.

Western Carolina University is the UNC system's westernmost campus and has been consistently ranked as one of the top 15 public regional institutions in the South.

Employees of WCU are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other resources, policies and programs to ensure a happy and healthy work/life balance. Benefit eligible employees have access to dental, vision and health insurance plans – eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire. Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. Optional disability plans are also available.

Eligible employees have access to tuition waivers for up to three courses per academic year; employee may enroll at any of the constituent UNC System campuses. Also offered are free group exercise classes multiple times per week, a discounted membership to the campus recreation center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays and 24 hours of paid community service leave each year. Leave earning employees (staff and 12-month faculty) who work at least half of the working days of their first month of employment will begin accruing vacation and sick leave immediately. Paid parental leave after 12 months of continuous service.

WCU offers an abundance of training and development programs, certifications, workshops and conferences – many of which are offered free of charge.

Position Summary: The primary location of this position is on-site in Cullowhee, NC. Those serving in this position should expect periodic travel to partner manufacturing site in North Carolina. Remote work is not available.

This is a full-time, 12-month, time-limited, grant-funded appointment anticipated to begin on or about January 1, 2027 and continue through June 30, 2029. Renewal is expected to occur annually and is contingent on satisfactory performance and continued funding.

The primary purpose of this position is to conduct postdoctoral research supporting the digital twin workstream of the Personalized Federated Learning Framework for Advanced Manufacturing Environments. The position develops, calibrates, and validates digital twin simulation models for manufacturing equipment, processes, and material behavior; integrates machine learning capabilities within the digital twin and federated learning environment; and supports evaluation and deployment of the framework at industry partner sites.

The position also contributes to scholarly publications, project deliverables, student mentoring, curriculum modules, and hands-on training activities as a member of a joint Western Carolina University and North Carolina State University research team. The position reports to the project principal investigator.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of modeling and simulation methods for physical or manufacturing systems, including digital twin development, model calibration, uncertainty quantification, and statistical validation.
• Ability to integrate machine learning or data-driven analytical methods into simulation and manufacturing environments using Python and a modern deep learning framework such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Ability to plan, conduct, document, and communicate independent and collaborative research through technical reports, project deliverables, peer-reviewed manuscripts, presentations, and partner-facing discussions.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, student researchers, university collaborators, and industry partners; safely operate around production manufacturing equipment; and travel periodically to partner sites within North Carolina.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required for this position:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Interested candidates must already be legally authorized to work in the United States and will not require any immigration sponsorship or support.
• A Ph.D. (by the effective date of appointment) in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or a closely related field — with demonstrated research experience in the modeling and simulation of physical or manufacturing systems, supporting experience in machine learning or data-driven analysis, and a record of peer-reviewed publications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience validating simulation models against instrumented equipment or production data.
• Edge computing platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson), embedded systems, or real-time control.
• Federated or distributed machine learning, or privacy-preserving analytics.
• Experience deploying research systems in operational or production settings.

Position Type: Time-Limited Full-Time

Special Instructions to Applicants: Application materials must be submitted online. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until a candidate has been selected for hire. Please include the following:

• letter of application (cover letter)
• current CV
• samples of at least two transactions or journal publications at high impact factors venues.
• statement of research and scholarship goals (no more than two pages)
• list of publications
• statement of mentoring and student engagement goals
• list of three professional references with complete contact information
• unofficial transcripts showing degree conferral dates for all degrees at the master's degree level and higher*

For questions or additional information please contact Dr. Islam Elgarhy at ielgarhy@wcu.edu

*All applicants are required to submit an unofficial transcript of their highest attained degree, showing all completed coursework and the date the degree was conferred. The transcript must state Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred, or a similar phrase. For candidates who are ABD, please submit your most recent doctoral program transcript along with your master's degree transcript, if you hold such a degree. The master's degree transcript must have a notation such as Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred, or a similar phrase, to verify it as your highest completed degree.