Professor of Architecture and Director Design and Planning Assistance Center; DPAC

Professor of Architecture and Director of the Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC)

Posting Numberreq
35080

Employment Type

Faculty Faculty Type Tenure/Tenure-Track Hiring Department

SAAP Architecture Program (515C) Academic Location School of Architecture and Planning Campus Main - Albuquerque, NM Benefits Eligible The University of New Mexico provides a comprehensive package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. See the Benefits home page for more information. Position Summary

The Department of Architecture at the University of New Mexico is currently accepting applications for a Director of the Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC). This position is a full-time, tenured position at the rank of Professor. The position is a 9-month faculty appointment (mid-August to mid-May each academic year) beginning in August of 2026 located in Albuquerque, NM. The full-time (1.0 FTE) appointment with tenure will consist of 0.5 FTE as faculty in Architecture and 0.5 FTE as Director of DPAC.

If the professor decides to step down as director, they would return to 1.0 FTE in Architecture with a full teaching load.

The Position:

The Department of Architecture welcomes candidates with expertise in community engaged design to serve as the Director of the Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC). This center, housed in the School of Architecture and Planning, frequently collaborates with the Department of Landscape Architecture, and the Department of Community and Regional Planning.

The successful candidate will have the experience and knowledge to promote and expand the discourse on building professional support across disciplines and in diverse communities . They will demonstrate commitment to community-based and community-driven processes. They will teach Design studios, and seminars at the graduate and undergraduate levels. A design studio focused on a DPAC project is typically offered once per year.

The candidate will also serve on department and school committees and participate in other activities, such as curriculum development. The successful candidate will demonstrate a track record of excellence in design research or research-based practice. Areas of expertise may include knowledge of resilience against impacts of climate change, indigenous knowledge systems, innovative methods of community engagement, historic preservation, design/build, and other methodologies.

Our school thrives when our faculty broadens our perspectives and brings new conversations to our community.

The Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC)

DPAC was founded at the UNM School of Architecture & Planning (SA+P) in 1969, as part of a national community design movement that linked university design programs and design practitioners with communities in need. Today, DPAC is the second oldest, continuously operating community design center based in a public university. Throughout its history, DPAC has served hundreds of communities-large and small-in every county of New Mexico.

The mission of DPAC is to deliver design and planning assistance to communities throughout the state of New Mexico and the Southwest region through community-engaged learning and scholarship.

The School of Architecture + Planning:

UNM Architecture teaches and inspires architects to respond critically to the urgencies of the present and the promises of a more sustainable and equitable future. The department supports the work of our award-winning faculty, students, and scholars to investigate the architectural systems and social forces that define sustainable built environments at the highest levels of academia and practice. UNM Architecture strives to be a model of radically accessible and affordable public architectural education.

The Department of Architecture is housed in the award-winning George Pearl Hall, designed by architect Antoine Predock, along with the departments of Landscape Architecture and Community and Regional Planning. The spacious facilities have the latest design and fabrication tools,…