Description
The Department of Architecture at the University of Virginia School of Architecture welcomes applications for two endowed faculty fellowships. These two-year, non-tenure-track Assistant Professor General Faculty positions support both research and teaching for emerging practitioners, scholars, or architects seeking to expand their body of work and engage in academia. We seek candidates with a transformative vision for architecture, particularly those with cross-disciplinary interests that…
connect architecture with landscape architecture, urban design, planning, history and theory, or fields beyond the profession, and that address critical issues of our time.
This is a full-time, two-year appointment, with the expectation that the fellows will reside in Charlottesville and actively engage with faculty, staff, and students at the University. Successful candidates must hold a terminal degree in Architecture (MArch) or a comparable degree in a related design field (such as MLA, MUD, PHD). Faculty fellows are expected to develop a research project and teaching and to present the results of their work in the form of an exhibition in the fall of their second year. Fellows are required to teach four courses per year, including two studios, one required course within the school’s core curriculum, and one elective aligned with their area of research. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in committees and other faculty administrative duties.
The Department of Architecture's mission is to educate and inspire the next generation of architectural leaders who understand our discipline as inseparable from the landscapes, cultures, environments, and histories in which we are situated. We actively encourage collaboration across the School of Architecture's disciplines, including with the departments of landscape architecture, urban and environmental planning, and architectural history, as well as with the larger university. As a vital member of this vibrant community, the successful candidate will advance these aims through teaching, research, and collaboration with faculty and students.
The Michael Owen Jones and Robertson Fellowships are structured to provide a gateway into academia and support the development of design research and teaching trajectories. The UVA School of Architecture promotes this by encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration, providing mentorship, and supporting research development within the school and across the university. Fellows have access to library systems and recently renovated studio, shop, and project spaces, providing state-of-the-art facilities for creative work, scholarly inquiry, and collaborative research (https://www.arch.virginia.edu/about/fablab, https://makergrounds.virginia.edu/).
Qualifications
Application Instructions
To apply for this position, attach the following:
- Cover letter. Brief statement that outlines creative practice/research objectives and teaching goals.
- CV. Full curriculum vitae
- Portfolio. Digital, including examples of work and teaching (size limit: 100mb)
- Project Proposal. A one-page outline of the design research project and exhibition.
- References. Names of three people who can be contacted about your design/academic work.
Applications reviews will begin in late October and will continue to remain open until the position is filled. These positions are not eligible for sponsorship of an H-1B visa requiring consular processing; other visa sponsorships (including H-1B visas not requiring consular processing) may be available, as appropriate. For questions regarding this position, please contact Search Committee Chairs, Professor Matthew Jull at mj5kh@virginia.edu and Department Chair, Professor Jeana Ripple at ripple@virginia.edu. For Interfolio-related assistance, please contact UVA HR.
Organization
In 1819, the University of Virginia established a new model for intellectual exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration in higher education. Two hundred years later, as a major research institution, we continue to challenge conventions, lead with ingenuity and advance knowledge for the common good.
What began as an innovative idea has become one of the nation’s leading public research universities, with over 21,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UVA also has over 3,000 full-time faculty offering more than 400 degrees.
Each of the University’s eleven schools has its own distinctive mission, working together to garner consistently high rankings—including #2 Best Value Public College (Princeton Review, 2016), #3 Public University in the Nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2016), and #3 Best Value Among Public Colleges (Kiplinger’s, 2016).
As we invest in and strengthen our research capabilities, UVA seeks new faculty ready to uncover new insights, rewrite old rules and collaborate on intellectual discoveries.
RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS THAT CROSS DISCIPLINES
As an R1 institution, the University’s research centers, consortia and laboratories are on the leading edge of discovery and technology, offering collaborative spaces for students and faculty to solve global problems.
Our professors are recognized members of major national scholarly and professional organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Our faculty’s engagement in interdisciplinary research is being facilitated by new research institutes specializing in everything from big data to brain functioning, and by cluster hires across schools.
NATIONALLY RANKED HEALTH SYSTEM
UVA is also home to a nationally renowned academic medical center and the UVA Health System, which serves a three-part mission to treat patients, conduct translational research and train medical practitioners in a wide variety of disciplines.
Established as the nation’s 10th medical school in 1825, the institution has since grown to include a 612-bed hospital and a Level I trauma center, nationally recognized cancer and heart centers, a Children’s Hospital, and primary and specialty clinics throughout Central Virginia.
The UVA Medical Center is consistently ranked among the nation’s best hospitals by the U.S. News & World Report magazine and has been named among the top 25 percent in seven specialties.
INSPIRING STUDENTS, INSPIRED TEACHING
The vast majority of UVA students come from the top 10% of their high school class, as well as from all 50 states, over 142 countries and a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite their diversity, all UVA students share a love of learning and a drive to achieve.
One of the reasons students choose Virginia is our unique residential culture. At UVA, the community of students, faculty and staff personifies the Jeffersonian idea that living and learning are connected. The Academical Village was constructed to support a unique residential experience, with faculty living in the Pavilions, students occupying Lawn rooms and the world-famous Rotunda at its heart. The University’s residential culture continues to support this experience today—strengthened by students, faculty and staff rich in backgrounds, ideas and perspectives. Our unique culture is also paying dividends in innovation: UVA’s faculty have generated more than 130 patents since 2010.
Perhaps most importantly, faculty come to UVA knowing that instruction is as important as research, and they pride themselves on their many teaching awards. Our best professors look for ways to encourage, mentor and develop tomorrow’s leaders inside and outside the classroom.
LIFE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
Living in Charlottesville you’ll find sophisticated restaurants, world-renowned wineries and breweries, cosmopolitan arts and music, friendly urban and suburban neighborhoods and a Piedmont landscape that has lured adventurous souls for centuries. No wonder the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research named Charlottesville the “happiest city in America” in 2014.
In addition to UVA and its health system, several major employers have facilities in Charlottesville, including State Farm, Northrop Grumman, the U.S. Department of Defense, GE and others. Charlottesville is also becoming a center for innovative start-up businesses. The University also actively helps spouses and partners of faculty members build their networks and pursue employment opportunities with a wide variety of area employers.
The University of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

