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Assistant/Associate Professor in Interiors Program (Tenure Track)Job Summary
Drexel University’s Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism invites applications for a 9-month Tenure-Track position teaching in the core curriculum of the Interiors Program beginning September 1, 2023. We seek an energetic individual with a demonstrated record of innovative teaching, critical design inquiry, and transdisciplinary collaboration. The ideal candidate should be capable of teaching, innovating, organizing, and coordinating a range of undergraduate and graduate courses across the curriculum and at various levels. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to inclusive teaching and an emerging research agenda. The successful candidate will enhance the program’s existing academic strengths, be future-oriented, and have strong content knowledge of what is required for emerging designers in professional practice.
We seek a talented teacher and researcher to promote, contribute and participate in the advancement of initiatives that address today’s social and global challenges including, but not limited to, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), climate change, urban resiliency, and health & wellness. Additionally, this individual will collaborate with existing faculty on advancing constructive initiatives that dismantle barriers faced by minoritized communities in design education and practice. The Interior Design Program is dedicated to having a faculty that is representative of the population of Philadelphia and its increasingly diverse student body. We strongly encourage individuals of diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and identities, with scholarship or pedagogy that engages global practice .
As faculty, we work collaboratively within the Interiors Program and the Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism—which also includes programs in Architecture, Urban Strategy, and Design Research. We invite qualified candidates to join us in strengthening and developing current and new interdisciplinary initiatives and collaborations within the Department, College, University, and the profession. Together, we endeavor to shape the future of interdisciplinary creative practices, equitable partnerships, and inclusive engagement to enrich our campus, our communities, and our world. Our Department is at an exciting point of reinvention as we take a central role in implementing Westphal College’s and Drexel University’s strategic plans.
Drexel’s Interiors Program offers an undergraduate and two graduate degrees that are nationally ranked. Both our undergraduate and first professional graduate degrees are CIDA-accredited. The program maintains a prominent position within the academic and professional worlds, and is characterized by a focus on human experience, community and civic engagement, novel exploration of material and form, commitment to a sustainable future, and rigorous professional training. The program benefits from its prime location in Philadelphia, a UNESCO World Heritage city, and a culturally sophisticated and highly diverse metro area that is among the largest in the nation. Located in the strikingly renovated URBN Center, the program has dedicated studio spaces, making labs, a materials resource library, and shares facilities and faculty with allied Antoinette Westphal College programs including art history, visual arts, graphic design, product design, fashion design, digital media, game design and virtual production, and many others. Additional information on the Interior Design Program and our undergraduate and graduate degree offerings can be found on our website.
We are dedicated to building a culturally diverse faculty committed to teaching and fostering an inclusive, equitable and multicultural environment for students, faculty, and staff.
Essential Functions:
Teaching a combination of interior design studios, seminars, and lecture courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Collaborating with faculty in the department to develop and implement effective, innovative, and inclusive teaching practices and curriculum development. Service to the Department, the College, the University, and to the profession as assigned by the Department Head. Inter- and intra- departmental collaborations with other design disciplines. Demonstrated research, scholarship, creative work (RSC) toward achieving tenure. Required Qualifications:
This position calls for candidates who have previous teaching experience, administrative potential, and can demonstrate collaborative, creative work in their area(s) of expertise.
Minimum of a professional degree in interior design/interior architecture (BS, BA or BFA) with sustained professional experience. If candidate has more than one degree, at least one degree must be in Interior Design/Interior Architecture. Minimum of 3 years of professional practice in interior design/interior architecture. Minimum of 3 years of teaching experience in interior design/interior architecture. Ability to teach diverse communities employing inclusive pedagogy and diverse viewpoints. NCIDQ certified or NCIDQ-eligible (within the next three years). Preferred Qualifications:
Minimum of 5 years of professional practice in interior design/interior architecture. Evidence-based approaches to design, such as the impact of design on diverse and minoritized communities. Research, experience, and/or expertise in one or several of the following areas:Emerging technologies (in areas such as representation, fabrication, AI, AR, VR) Human-centered design Environmental wellness Participatory and community-based design Design equity and social justice Working knowledge and/or certification in LEED, WELL, Fitwel, or other design standards. Location
University City, Philadelphia, PA
Additional Information
Please review the Benefits Brochure for some information on our benefits offerings.
Special Instructions to the Applicant
In addition to your CV/resume and 1-page cover letter, please also submit the following with your application:
Statement articulating your qualifications and expertise which includes (3-page max):Design philosophy Inclusive teaching philosophy Diversity Statement sharing insights on integration of JEDI into the culture and curriculum of interior design/architecture. Statement on intended research (including the specific expertise, research agenda, and scope you anticipate to contribute to the teaching content of the program), as well as the advantage of the College/University collaboration potential. Additionally, describe how the research agenda will impact and contribute overall to the program and to the interior design/interior architecture discipline’s body of knowledge. Portfolio demonstrating your expertise for the position, including professional and student work, submitted in PDF format (not to exceed 20 pages) 3 references, with position and contact information, who can attest to your qualifications. (References will be contacted for short listed candidates/candidates invited for on campus interview). Screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
About Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design is dedicated to unlocking the creativity of critical thinkers, makers, and doers who connect ideas and solve real-world problems, transforming careers and lives. The Antoinette Westphal College offers 18 undergraduate and 8 graduate majors, housed in award-winning, technologically enhanced facilities, and taught by distinguished faculty who have worked at the top of their fields. Westphal educates students to find their place as leaders in today's rapidly changing world by teaching the diverse skills needed to conceptualize and implement creative thinking. The synergy of Westphal’s creative programs, strong foundation curriculum, diverse minors, and stewardship of University assets and enterprises enhances the strength of the College in this interdisciplinary age. The College actively participates in community-based learning programs that allow students and faculty to study the issues affecting our world in collaboration with neighboring communities. As the center for creativity at Drexel, the Antoinette Westphal College’s collaborative community of scholars, creatives, thinkers, and doers are uniquely positioned to face the world’s challenges and define the creative careers of the 21st century. Westphal is dedicated to building a community where everyone is welcome, and a multiplicity of voices are celebrated.
Under the leadership of Antoinette Westphal College Dean, Jason Schupbach, the College seeks to expand its commitment to anti-racism, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), and deepen interdisciplinary initiatives within the department, college, university, and design industry. Antoinette Westphal College will lead in shaping new generations of leaders in all creative fields, recognizing that interior design and built environments play pivotal roles in addressing the social and environmental challenges of the future and therefore the need to appropriately and sensitively educate future design leaders.
Westphal College is dedicated to building a community where everyone is welcome, and a multiplicity of voices are celebrated. To learn more about how diversity impacts each candidate’s teaching and research agendas, the search committee is asking everyone who is being interviewed to submit a statement that speaks to this topic.
