"Assistant/Associate Professor (Lecturer), Physical Product Design"

Job Details

Assistant/Associate Professor (Lecturer), Physical Product Design

Details

The Division of Multi-Disciplinary Design (MDD) is now accepting applications for a full-time assistant or associate professor in design, specializing in physical product design. This is a full-time, 9-month faculty position with an expected start date of July 2026.

Housed within the College of Architecture + Planning, MDD promotes design education across disciplines through an innovative curriculum and broad research activities. With 3 areas of curriculum focus across digital, physical, and exploratory design areas, we are a community of academics, professionals, and students engaging in design to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.

A consistent thread of innovative design education runs throughout MDD. The program includes a breadth of ‘products' in its purview, encompassing physical and digital artifacts at various scales, as well as service and systems design. The MDD curriculum is strategically designed around Studio Practice, Technical Competency, Historical and Theoretical Foundations, and Applied Practice. The program integrates artistic, technical, and theoretical frameworks to foster a comprehensive design education. This integrative approach promotes critical analysis, inventive thinking, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, leveraging a curriculum that incorporates additional expertise from architecture, fine arts, communication, business, engineering, and computer science. Key educational imperatives include promoting inquiry-driven learning, advancing visual literacy, fostering methodological experimentation, and cultivating collaborative capabilities. This multi-disciplinary approach, along with collaborations with community stakeholders and industry partners, enable students to engage with authentic design challenges, enhancing both their professional preparedness and societal impact.

Scholarship and creative activity within the Division of Multi-Disciplinary Design reflect the program's broad and practice-driven approach, integrating design research, technology, material studies, and community engagement. MDD faculty produce a wide range of scholarly outputs, including peer-reviewed journal articles, patents, design exhibitions, book chapters, funded research projects, interactive media, and public installations. This diverse body of work accommodates multiple forms of design practice, ensuring that research remains both theoretically rigorous and practically applied.

Position Description

This position will have a specific focus on physical product design. We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in the design and development of tangible products, from initial concept to production. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of human-centered design principles, materials, and manufacturing processes, as well as the ability to guide students in creating innovative and meaningful physical products. In this career line position, the candidate's primary responsibility will be teaching with opportunities for service depending on the candidate's strengths and departmental needs.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A terminal degree or its equivalent in Industrial Design, Product Design, or a related field.
• Excellent communication skills that facilitate discussions and interactions beyond disciplinary boundaries.
• Ability to work with a range of design tools and processes, including digital tools and / or physical modeling and visualization. Proficiency in CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, Rhino) and other relevant design tools is essential.
• Demonstrated record of design experience, with a portfolio showcasing a variety of design projects that demonstrate creativity, problem-solving skills, and attention to detail.
• Experience practicing design management and strategy, for example leadership of multi-disciplinary project teams (and ability to teach this).
• Knowledge of design thinking methodologies and user-centered design principles.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes and materials selection for product development.
• For appointment at an associate professor (lecturer) rank, demonstrated record of teaching courses related to product design and innovation to university level students across year levels.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to span across disciplinary boundaries to see the relationship between making, theory, history, sustainability, and the non-human world.
• Ability to explore and integrate innovative technologies and alternative ways of making and crafting, including familiarity with rapid prototyping techniques and tools using digital fabrication.
• An advanced degree (doctorate).
• Evidence of recognition of teaching and design achievements (e.g., awards).
• Familiarity with relevant industry standards and regulations, such as ISO, ASTM, or UL.
• Demonstrated record of research/creative activities in peer-reviewed exhibits, showcases, publications, etc.
• Experience with curriculum design, assessment, and review.

Potential applicants are encouraged to consult the program web site at www.design.utah.edu

Qualified applicants must submit:

• A curriculum vitae.
• A letter of application including statements of pedagogical and research/creative objectives.
• A website link with portfolio and/or a 20 page (max) design portfolio (20 MB limit submitted as pdf with examples of design and / or teaching and / or scholarly work).
• A list of three references (with phone numbers, mailing and e-mail addresses).

The search committee will begin reviewing applications on 31 January 2026. Applications will remain open for consideration until this position is filled.

Please address questions for this position to Associate Professor Jim Agutter, Search Committee Chair, University of Utah, email: agutterja@arch.utah.edu

About the University

The University of Utah (the U) is the state's flagship institution of higher education... [abbreviated for brevity, full text in source]

Department: 01138 - Design
City: Salt Lake City, UT
Track: Non Tenure Track
Open Until Filled: Yes
Requisition Number: PRN01459CF

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/194463