Assistant Professor of Product Design

Who we need.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) College of Architecture is seeking a full time, nine-month, tenure track assistant professor of Product Design effective fall 2021. This position’s academic home will be in the Interior Design Program, which currently administers a Product Design minor. The Interior Design faculty supports a CIDA accredited undergraduate program within a NASAD-accredited institution, as well as a blended-learning graduate program. The faculty seeks highly motivated candidates who deeply value excellence in design, recognize the roles of the allied design disciplines, and have a passion for teaching.

Candidates should be versed in the discipline of Product Design with the desire to be part of a highly collaborative team dedicated to the advancement of an emerging interdisciplinary college within a land-grant institution. The Interior Design Program is driven to elevate the disciplinary role of Product Design in the College of Architecture, thus completing the study and design of the built environment from the scales of “hand-to-land”. Currently, Product Design is the most popular minor in the College of Architecture and finds itself in a prime position to re-design a more robust Product Design curriculum that could expand the reach of product design, and design thinking, to all students on UNL’s campus. As part of this vision, we anticipate fast growth in minor enrollment, which in turn will be a catalyst for academic growth in offering the Product Design Minor university-wide and potentially activating a Product Design major at UNL. Accepting this position will result in the exciting possibility in leading an academic mission to establish the disciplinary identity of Product Design as a signature program on campus.

Candidates should have a willingness to evolve and refine the momentum of Product Design already established in the college and to contribute to the first year d.ONE program by teaching d.THINK. Additionally, the candidate will be expected to specifically contribute to the curriculum by developing and/or teaching a combination of the following topics/subjects:  

• Introduction to Industrial/Product Design
• Visual Communication for Product Design
• Introductory and Advanced Product Design Studio

In addition to teaching, the position will require the declaration and development of a research and/or creative activity agenda. General expectations for one’s research and creative activity would be the productive growth and achievement of funded research, the dissemination of new knowledge, and/or peer-reviewed recognitions, honors, awards, or exhibitions. We are searching for a colleague who values collaboration, inspiration, and making; who is able to contribute at multiple levels of the curriculum; and, who embodies professional excellence and enthusiasm for innovative design.  We seek an individual with creative energy, passion and vision for the future of Industrial / Product Design.  The successful candidate understands design as an integrated and critical set of processes and will demonstrate strong skills in process exploration and final output via a full range of analog to digital means including knowledge of relevant and emerging design software.

Who we are.

The Interior Design Program is situated within the College of Architecture along with the programs of Community and Regional Planning, Architecture, and Landscape Architecture. Collectively the College faculty forms a culture of collaborative teaching and research that values cross-program and interdisciplinary initiatives. The active learning environment in the undergraduate Interior Design Program is centered around studio-based learning and provides students with an extraordinary education in the design of the built environment. The program offers a Product Design Minor that is currently only offered to College of Architecture students. For more information about our College of Architecture, Interior Design Program and Degrees, and constituent Programs, please see http://architecture.unl.edu/

Required Qualifications at time of application

1.Either…

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, or Product Development AND a Master’s Degree or PhD in a related or supporting field; 

Or…

• A terminal degree in Industrial Design (MFA in Industrial Design, MID, etc);

Or…

• A terminal degree in a related design field plus a minimum of three years professional experience in designing/developing products for manufacture.

Preferred qualifications at time of application:

1. Minimum of 3 years of experience in Professional Practice in Industrial Design/Product Design as demonstrated in the CV and portfolio.
2. Minimum of 3 Years Experience in Teaching in Interdisciplinary Learning Environments. 
3. Record of Design Research in, but not limited to, Industrial Design, Product Design, Product Development, Entrepreneurialism, Design Management, Design Process, Design Methodology, Human Centered Design, Material Culture, Sustainable Design, or Multi-Disciplinary Design.
4. Demonstrable excellence in communication and visualization skills – spoken, 2D-sketch, digital render, 3D modeling-analog to digital, as demonstrated in the portfolio.

Application deadline: review of applications will begin on February 22, 2021, and will remain open until the position is filled.

Salary and rank: will be competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Submission process: To be considered for this position, please go to http://employment.unl.edu, requisition F_200154, and click on “Apply to this job.” Candidates should upload the specific submission requirements listed below to https://employment.unl.edu/postings/70705

1.   A full curriculum vitae

2.   Contact information for three references (please provide name, title, address, telephone number, and email.)

3.   A statement outlining:

a.   personal professional experience/identity

b.   potential/or established design-research goals

c.    teaching/learning philosophy.

4.   A digital portfolio demonstrating your qualifications for the position. This may include, but is not limited to: professional, scholarly, and creative work in practice or academia. Projects may include student work from courses you have instructed.

Please direct any inquires to: Nate Bicak, bicak@unl.edu and include “Faculty Position in Product Design” in the subject line.

The University of Nebraska has an active National Science Foundation ADVANCE gender equity program, and is committed to a pluralistic campus community through affirmative action, equal opportunity, work-life balance, and dual careers hires. Further information is available at: http://www.nebraska.edu/work-life-balance.html