2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Recent data indicate that only approximately 12-13% of engineering PhD graduates in the U.S. secure tenure-track faculty positions, with a smaller subset ultimately achieving tenure (Stapleton, 2024). This disparity is primarily driven by the limited number of available faculty positions at academic institutions relative to the growing pool of qualified candidates. Upon entering academic roles, engineering faculty face rigorous requirements for promotion and tenure, with success frequently contingent on their ability to consistently and successfully submit and secure competitive grant proposals and secure funding to sustain their research long-term.

To address this challenge, the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI), supported by the National Science Foundation, developed and formatively evaluated a Summer Institute targeting early career engineering faculty. Over nine years, this initiative brought together junior faculty from a range of disciplines, all focused on advancing natural hazards mitigation, to participate in comprehensive training on grant proposal development and collaborative, interdisciplinary research.

This paper presents the NHERI Summer Institute as a case study, detailing the application of evidence-based instructional strategies—drawn from educational lesson planning and collaborative and team research best-practices—to design the educational activities and engagement for engineering faculty. Additionally, the paper summarizes key lessons learned across the nine years of implementation, formative evaluation findings, and long-term success metrics for participating early career faculty. The paper concludes with recommendations for engineering educators interested in designing and implementing faculty development programs, outlining critical steps for fostering sustained engagement and facilitating meaningful professional learning.