UVA Engineering Rising Scholars Postdoc-to-Faculty Program

This program is designed to encourage early-career scholars to pursue a career in academia by supporting their postdoctoral work before beginning in a tenure-track position at the University of Virginia. 

The program seeks to recruit exceptional early-career scholars committed to building a collaborative intellectual community and promoting a welcoming scholarly environment. Selected candidates will enhance the diversity and excellence of UVA Engineering through their research, educational efforts and service.

View the application on Interfolio. Review of applications is ongoing.

There are multiple components of the program:

  • The program seeks to recruit exceptional early-career scholars committed to building an evolving intellectual community and promoting a welcoming scholarly environment. Selected candidates will enhance the excellence of UVA Engineering through their research, educational efforts and service.
  • UVA Engineering will fund a postdoc position at an institution best suited to develop the scholarship of the candidate for up to two years. During this time, participants in the Rising Scholars Program will participate in multidimensional professional development, including opportunities to develop research skills, participate in mentoring and networking, and build collaborative professional relationships. The Rising Scholars Program is designed to create a seamless transition into a faculty position with high productivity immediately.
  • Upon completion of the postdoc position, the candidate will join UVA Engineering as a tenure-track assistant professor in their home department.

Requirements:

Candidates will be considered from all research areas represented in the departments of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Candidates must be in their final year of graduate school with an identified graduation date/dissertation date. Candidates should have the potential to be high-impact researchers, must be able to contribute to the teaching mission of their departmental homes, must have the potential to mentor students at the undergraduate and graduate level, and must have the potential for identifying and contributing to the collaborative environments within UVA Engineering. Priority will be given to candidates who contribute to the strategic plan and mission of the school and University.

Contacts:
For questions regarding the program, please contact Meara Habashi, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, or Brian Smith, associate dean for faculty affairs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. For questions about the application process, please contact Rich Haverstrom, faculty search advisor at the University of Virginia.

Our Rising Scholars

Joshua Darville

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Senior data scientist with over three years of experience at top-tier research institutions.

Daniel Otero-León

Assistant Professor

My research interests are generally in operations research and, more specifically, in stochastic models and stochastic dynamic programming applied to healthcare. My research is in data-driven models for improving decision-making in cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health, and substance abuse.

W. Streit Cunningham

Assistant Professor

Streit is a UVA Rising Scholar Research Scientist who will be an Assistant Professor in MSE, effective July 25, 2025. 

Zhe Zeng

Assistant Professor, Computer Science (starting July 2025)
Zhe Zeng will join the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia in 2025. Prior to that, she was a Faculty Fellow in the Computer Science Department at New York University, working with Andrew Gordon Wilson. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of…

Questions?

Meara M. Habashi

Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dr. Meara M. Habashi is an expert in social and workplace behaviors who previously led Purdue’s Brock-Wilson Center for Women in Management, which empowers women to overcome gender obstacles in the workplace and prepares students to lead and excel in a diverse workforce and changing social climate.

Brian L. Smith, PE

Professor Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs

Brian L. Smith, PE is a leader in advanced technology in surface transportation systems - specifically "connecting" the infrastructure to travelers to improve transportation safety and efficiency. His research has contributed to innovations such as mobile phone navigation systems and urban freeway management.