Research Scientist: Department of Defense Research Center - UTK

The Research Scientist (Metallurgy) conducts applied and fundamental research involving alloy development, heat treatments, and advanced manufacturing of metallic components for defense applications. This role operates within UT’s Defense Research Center, collaborating with government, industry, and academic partners to advance DoD-funded materials initiatives.

This position is responsible for leading and supporting fundamental and applied research in physical and mechanical metallurgy with a focus on advanced manufacturing methods for metallic systems in support of Department of Defense–funded initiatives. The scientist will conduct research on microstructure–process–property relationships, heat treatment strategies, and alloy development for a range of metallic materials—including aluminum alloys, high-strength steels, and refractory metals such as tungsten and molybdenum—and will qualify and optimize these materials for use in defense-critical components fabricated via Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD), Cold Spray, and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM).

This is a grant-funded position and is contingent upon the continued funding of the grant.

The scientist designs and executes metallurgical experiments on aluminum, steel, and refractory metal systems; develops and applies heat-treatment schedules to tailor microstructures; and characterizes materials using techniques such as optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, EBSD, XRD, microhardness testing, and mechanical evaluations. They also develop and validate analytical and computational models, support qualification of AFSD, WAAM, and Cold Spray processes, mentor students and partners, and manage laboratory equipment, safety protocols, and research operations.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related Engineering disciplines
• Experience: 3 years of experience in metallurgy including heat treatments, microstructural characterization, and mechanical testing
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Knowledge of operation and ability to conduct heat treatment processes. Knowledge and operation of materials characterization techniques such as optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, EBSD, XRD, microhardness testing, and mechanical evaluation (tensile, compression, fatigue). Technical writing skills for proposal, report, and manuscript preparation. Strong interpersonal and collaborative relationship skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Doctoral Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related Engineering disciplines
• Experience: 1 year or more experience in CNC machining. 1 year or more experience with structured light scanners, coordinate measuring machines, optical profilometers. 1 year or more experience with additive manufacturing processes for metals
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Knowledge of operation and ability to use CNC machining for part production and experiments. Knowledge of operation and ability to use wire electrical discharge machining for part production. Knowledge of operation and ability to use and interpret results of measurements performed using structured light scanners, coordinate measuring machines, optical profilometers. Knowledge of operation and ability to use additive manufacturing techniques and in-situ monitoring for metal and hybrid materials components. Ability to perform experiments for model development

Work Location:

• Location: Knoxville, TN
• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits:

• UT market range: MR 13
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions:

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, all requested materials should be included in the application:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of 3 Professional References

About The College:

The Tickle College of Engineering is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success including adding over 30 new faculty as part of ambitious cluster hiring campaigns led by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. Since 2021, the college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank. New facilities include the state-of-the art Zeanah Engineering Complex, the University of Tennessee Manufacturing and Design Enterprise (TN-MADE) facility, and the Innovation South building which houses UTK’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF). TCE currently has 208 Tenure/Tenure Track and 65 Non-Tenure Track faculty in its nine academic departments and offers 13 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD degree programs. Affiliated with TCE and located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, the UT Space Institute is a hub of aerospace and defense research. The college is also home to eight research centers and three interdisciplinary institutes. With approximately 4,300 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate students, the college sits 29th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 29 early career awards (NSF, DoE, DARPA, AFOSR, and ARO) since 2016. In FY24, the college had NSF HERD research expenditures of $121 million.