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The School of Interior Architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor position in Interior Architecture. This nine-month, full-time (1.0 FTE) position will be awarded based on the candidate's experience, promise of excellence, and evidence of focus and/or established achievements in teaching, research, or creative scholarship. The appointment begins on August 1, 2025, and the salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications.  

We seek a collaborative candidate with innovative research or creative scholarship and progressive teaching agendas in interior architecture. The ability to teach design studio and experience with digital technologies is required. Current areas of interest in the school include: healthcare and wellness, evidence-based design, universal design, workplace strategies, sustainability, advanced technologies (intelligent design, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI)), building systems (acoustics, lighting, materials, furniture), computer-aided construction technologies and graphic representation (Revit, Rhino, Maya, Blender, Unity), digital fabrication, and robotics. 

Candidates with areas of interest not listed above are encouraged to apply. We seek applicants who not only contribute to established knowledge and methods but also push beyond conventional boundaries, enriching and diversifying the contributions to our scholarly and pedagogical communities.  

About the University of Tennessee, Knoxville 

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is the flagship campus of The University of Tennessee. The university holds the Carnegie Foundation Research 1 designation, granted to doctoral universities with very high research activity. Serving the state and nation as a land-grant university and as Volunteers is integral to the university’s mission. UT enrolls approximately 33,805 students at its Knoxville campus. The university culture is guided by adherence to core values that define the Volunteer spirit, including seeking knowledge, leading with innovation and integrity, advancing diversity and inclusion, local and global engagement, and responsible stewardship of resources. 

About the School of Interior Architecture 

The school offers a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture within a highly competitive professional program, attracting over 600 first-year applicants across the United States in 2024. There are approximately 45 students in each cohort year, with the total number of students in the program equaling about 192. The school is located in the College of Architecture and Design with the School of Architecture, School of Landscape Architecture, and School of Design; we share the building with the School of Art. The position offers rich opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration. 

The school is distinguished by established and recent national and international awards earned by both students and faculty. The program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and was ranked 11th in the “Most Hired From” category among comparable universities by DesignIntelligence. 

About the Duties and Responsibilities of the Tenure-Track Appointment 

The Assistant or Associate Professor rank is a full-time, nine-month tenure-track appointment. The candidate will demonstrate a combined contribution of teaching, research/creative scholarship, and service. Research or creative scholarship will demonstrate methods that broaden the discipline of interior architecture. Research/creative scholarship will be incorporated into instructional assignments, allowing undergraduate students to learn from advanced research or creative methods.  

A typical instructional assignment includes teaching design studio and lecture/seminar courses across all undergraduate interior architecture curriculum levels. Depending on research/creative scholarship needs, the teaching load may be reduced during the tenure-track period by a 3-credit-hour reduction for two semesters or a 6-credit-hour reduction for one semester. 

Required Qualifications for Associate Professor

• Demonstrated success with an established research or creative scholarship agenda at the national or international level, or significant recognition in professional practice, including national or international awards or equivalent distinguished work.

Required Qualifications for Assistant and Associate Professor

• Terminal degree and at least one degree in interior architecture, interior design, architecture, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated promise of a cohesive, peer-reviewed research or creative scholarship agenda with originality and significance in national or international venues.
• Evidence of promise as a skilled teacher (Assistant), established reputation as competent and skilled teacher (Associate). Competency in integrating digital and analog skills in design studio/classroom instruction.
• Commitment to developing progressive teaching strategies and advancing pedagogical methods with empathy and standards of excellence.
• Ability to contribute to a collegial and collaborative working environment.
• Commitment to contributing in meaningful ways to the diverse and intercultural goals of the University of Tennessee, College of Architecture and Design, and the School of Interior Architecture.

Desired Qualifications

• Degrees in multiple disciplines.
• Demonstrated peer-reviewed research/creative scholarship, competition awards, and design awards.
• Success in teaching innovative design studios.
• Studio-based master’s degree or significant contributions to design practice.
• Professional experience in an architecture office or design firm
• NCIDQ certification or qualification to pass the NCIDQ exams within the first three years of the position.

Eligibility

Designers and academics within the interior architecture field of study, and from various allied design professions and disciplines, who are interested in operating in an educational capacity and can demonstrate significant engagement with interior architecture are encouraged to apply. Initial review of applications will begin on January 6, 2025, and will continue until the position is filled.

To apply, submit the following materials on Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/155992. Please email Rana Abudayyeh (rabudayy@utk.edu), Associate Professor and Chair of the Search Committee, with any questions using the subject line "TT Professor Position."

• A cover letter describing your qualifications and interest in the University of Tennessee and the School of Interior Architecture.
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
• One-page statement outlining your proposed research or creative scholarship goals.
• One-page teaching philosophy.
• Complete contact information for three references.
• A digital portfolio of work, limited to 20 pages in a single PDF (include examples of student work if you have previous teaching experience). Please clarify your role in the portfolio submission for collaborative projects (percentage of the work completed/contributions by candidate and responsibilities) and shared teaching assignments (ex: Instructor of Record, GTA, TA, etc. and contributions/responsibilities). Contact the committee chair if you need to provide a portfolio format that supports multimedia, video, or sound. 

For more information on the College of Architecture and Design, see: http://archdesign.utk.edu