Assistant Professor, Beginning Design

Job no: 534839
Work type: Teaching & Research Faculty
Senior management: Architecture, Arts, and Design
Department: School of Architecture
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Categories: Architecture / Construction / Planning, Instructional / Teaching Faculty

The Virginia Tech School of Architecture, based in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, invites applications for a Tenure Track – Assistant professor position with a concentration in teaching beginning design in the five-year professional

B.Arch program or graduate degree programs (M.Arch 2-year and M.Arch 3-year).

The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design at Virginia Tech, a land‑grant university, affirms a collective responsibility to encourage, build, and embrace the cultural diversity of the world. We do this by acknowledging and addressing our past, recognizing our current responsibility, and acting in the interests of building and sustaining communities that are safe, supportive, and inclusive for all. We are committed to continually and proactively engaging in these efforts for the benefit of our students, staff, and faculty across the college, and the communities around the world we aim to serve, hence the University’s motto:
Ut Prosim.

The School of Architecture emphasizes learning through making as well as experimentation, plus disciplinary and professional engagement combined with cross‑disciplinary outreach to develop future architects who will holistically integrate diverse ideas while adeptly responding to shifting challenges within the profession of architecture. The school is large, with campuses in Blacksburg, Washington‑Alexandria and Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, city labs in Chicago and Boston, and study abroad programs throughout Europe.

It also has many degree programs and research centers.

The primary responsibilities of this position include teaching design studios for graduate or undergraduate students and required coursework in the professional degree programs. Associated service to students and school could include mentoring thesis students and serving as a liaison to professional organizations.

The search committee will look for expertise in design education and complementary areas of research, including, but not limited to, building design, material studies, fabrication, and artificial intelligence.

The beginning design studio, Foundation Design Laboratory, at Virginia Tech fosters an environment that places the student at the center of learning. The School of Architecture has dedicated space that fully allows the students to engage the faculty through the managed balance of coordination and autonomy, planning and discovery, doing and reflecting, making and meaning.

Beginning design students explore making with representational tools in multiple media and scales via the drawing board, digital space, material scale models, and 1:1 constructions, within the studio as well as through workshops for metalwork, woodwork, digital fabrication, darkroom photography, printmaking, ceramics, and textiles.

This position is based at Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg, Virginia and is a full‑time nine‑month appointment with an anticipated start date of August 2026.

• A terminal degree in architecture by the appointment start date

• Previous teaching experience (studio‑based or lecture)
• A demonstrated record of academic, scholarly, and/or professional accomplishments

• Brief cover letter that situates their work within the discipline and profession
• Portfolio of creative work and/or research (may be a link to a website or pdf)
• The names and contact information for three current references as an attachment to the application.
• A one‑page personal statement of teaching philosophy including the candidate's ideas for supporting an educational environment consistent with the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.

Additional materials may be requested and required from shortlisted candidates.

Exempt:
Not eligible for overtime

Regular

Salary range…