"Assistant / Associate Professor, Sustainable Design - College of Fine & Applied Arts"

Assistant / Associate Professor, Sustainable Design

The Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design Program (BSSD) in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign invites applications for two (2) tenure-stream faculty at the rank of Assistant / Associate Professor. These interdisciplinary positions will have joint appointments across two of the academic units that contribute courses to the BSSD, with a firm primary tenure home established in one of those units. We seek colleagues who bring vision, intellectual rigor, and expertise in emerging as well as traditional forms of sustainable design inquiry and research. This is a full-time, 9-month position with target start date of August 16, 2026.

The Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design (BSSD) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program housed within the College of Fine and Applied Arts at a globally ranked public research university. Now entering its sixth year, the program continues to grow rapidly, reflecting increasing student interest in addressing environmental and social challenges through intentional and creative design.

The curriculum draws on the research and teaching expertise of faculty from the School of Architecture, School of Art and Design, Department of Landscape Architecture, and Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Students engage in a rigorous, cross-disciplinary course of study that emphasizes systems thinking, ecological stewardship, and design excellence. Through this integrated approach, the program prepares students to shape sustainable communities, systems, and policies.

The ideal candidate will engage sustainable design from their area of research specialization, leading and collaborating on research across and between the units that support the BSSD curriculum within and beyond the College of Fine and Applied Arts.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be expected to teach and develop new critical insights in one or more areas central to the BSSD curriculum. The position includes teaching within the core BSSD curriculum, with additional teaching responsibilities that contribute to undergraduate and graduate research, mentoring, and curriculum development within the candidate's tenure-home unit. A typical annual course load for these positions will be four courses, with three of them in the BSSD and one in related programs in the appointed units. Faculty affiliated with BSSD are expected to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration to address urgent environmental and societal challenges.

In addition to teaching and research, the candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to fostering a collaborative environment across teaching, learning, departmental service, and research activities. They will contribute to advancing the educational mission of the University of Illinois, a land-grant institution dedicated to access, education, research, and public service at both local and global scales.

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates must possess a doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree (e.g. MArch, MFA, MLA) in or related to sustainable design, architecture, landscape architecture, or urban planning.

Preferred Qualifications

Teaching experience of two years or more in a university setting is highly preferred, especially experience teaching design studios, and/or project-based practica. Experience in or demonstrated potential for teaching sustainability, mentoring students, and engaging in and promoting student-centered learning are specifically desired.

Preferred candidates will additionally have a record of research, scholarship, and/or creative work that corresponds with their rank sought and their selected associated disciplinary units at UIUC; further, their research activity will be appropriate to an institution with very high research activity. A record of or potential for securing research funding or for achieving national or international recognition are valued. Candidates whose research entails public engagement are encouraged to apply.

Specific research foci of interest include, but are not limited to, climate change mitigation and adaptation; sustainable development and degrowth; planning and design for community resilience; design for environmental and climate justice; building decarbonization and net zero energy buildings; computational approaches to sustainable design; ecological landscape planning, and design; sustainable policy, planning, and design pedagogy.

Research and teaching approaches demonstrating a systemic handling of their subject matter will be favored.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Academic position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is 8/16/2026. The salary range is $75,000 - $80,000 for the Assistant level and $85,000 - $100,000 for the Associate level. Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on Sunday, October 26. To apply for this position, submit the following items as a single .pdf file: 1. Letter of application that details suitability for, and interest in, the position; 2. Statement on teaching philosophy and research / creative agenda (3-page maximum); 3. Curriculum vitae; 4. Portfolio of teaching and professional work (25-page maximum); 5. Names and contact information of three references. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact faa-hr@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.