The School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture (APLA) at Auburn University seeks candidates for a full-time, non-tenure track Assistant Research Professor in the Program of Architecture’s Rural Studio program with research responsibilities centered on housing affordability, commencing May 2024 or sooner. This position will be appointed under a one-year contract that will be renewed annually based on acceptable performance and continued funding.
Auburn University is recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a top-level, or R1, university with “very high research activity.” Auburn University is ranked in the top 11% of U.S. research institutions, coming in at No. 100 among 915 universities, according to the National Science Foundation’s most recent Higher Education Research and Development, or HERD, Survey. For universities without a medical school, Auburn currently ranks No. 61 nationally.
Auburn University is also classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “community engaged institution,” the highest such recognition for a university’s curricular engagement and outreach partnerships. As such, Auburn stands as an exemplar among its peer institutions as an interdisciplinary source for lifelong learning, information and expert assistance, and civic engagement for the public good.
APLA has over a century-long history of educating architects, interior architects, landscape architects and planners. The school contributes to the profession and to communities both locally and globally through creative work. APLA is comprised of four allied disciplines—Architecture, Interior Architecture, Environmental Design, and Landscape Architecture—and offers both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree options. APLA resides in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) along with the School of Industrial and Graphic Design and the McWhorter School of Building Science. APLA has a legacy of engaged public interest design work exemplified by the School’s two off-campus centers: Rural Studio (Newbern, Alabama) and Urban Studio (Birmingham, AL) as well as CADC’s Futures Studio (Mobile, AL) and the Center for Construction Innovation and Collaboration. Opportunities for collaboration within the School, College, and broader University abound.
Through three decades of hands-on, place-based teaching, research, and outreach, Rural Studio is regarded as a leading design-build program and advocate for sustainable rural living. As part of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture at Auburn University, the core mission of Rural Studio is the education of architecture students who design and build structures for residents and communities in the overburdened and underserved Black Belt region of Alabama. The design-build projects are coupled with research on sustainable, healthful rural living through both housing and community systems.
Rural Studio is seeking a candidate with a strong interest in research in support of our ongoing research and development relative to the equitable access and affordability of high-performance housing in underserved markets. Responsibilities of the appointment predominately include research. Successful candidates will demonstrate the capacity to maintain an active extramurally funded research program and level of productivity commensurate with Auburn University, CADC, & APLA promotion standards. The successful candidate will work closely with the faculty and staff of the Rural Studio program. The location of residency is Auburn, Alabama.
Areas of research may include but are not limited to: housing design and construction documentation, development and deployment of technical assistance to housing providers, development and implementation of pilot/demonstration programs focused on product or policy outcomes, and basic and applied research on housing performance. In completion of research goals, the candidate will be expected to collaborate within a large, multi-disciplinary research team, communicate with research sponsors, and engage with faculty, staff, and students both within and outside of the research team. Ability to travel to remote job sites, regional and national conferences, and meetings with various allied partners is required. Adequate support for ongoing research, peer review, and publication is also provided. We are interested in hands-on collaborators who can participate in shaping a critical research program around housing affordability and access either by building on our existing body of work or through diversifying our expertise.
