Temporary Assistant Professor in Product Design

Temporary Assistant Professor in Product Design

The Department of Product Design at the University of Kentucky is currently accepting applications for a Temporary Assistant Professor (non-tenure-eligible) for the  academic year. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about design education and the critical role educators play in equipping students for careers across the spectrum of product design practice. This position is open to a wide range of backgrounds and experiences in the product design field and, while preferred, teaching experience in higher education is not required.

This position is a full-time 9-month appointment with an anticipated start date of August 1, 2026, and an appointment period of one year to end May 15, 2027.

This position supports the educational mission of the Product Design program, focusing on quality instruction across studio, lecture, and/or workshop courses in our newly revised undergraduate curriculum. Applicants should have a strong understanding of human-centered design processes as applied to the development and delivery of physical and/or digital products, systems, or services. Ideal candidates should be qualified and able to teach at any level of our four-year undergraduate program and contribute to multiple courses within the curriculum's course series:
Studios (hands-on, applied projects), Means of Communication (drawing, visualization, graphics), Means of Production (CAD, materials, prototyping, UX/UI), and Design Contexts (history, ethics, professional practice); opportunities to offer special topic elective courses also exist in this role.

This is a teaching position with no expectation of research; however, the selected candidate will contribute to service activities of the Department of Product Design.

To meet the program's vision of breadth and depth in design education, we welcome candidates with experience in any of the following areas:

• Product/Industrial Design
• Medical Device and System Design
• Digital Product/Interaction Design
• Design Research
• Visual Communication
• Computer Aided Design
• Ergonomics and Human Factors
• Design Foundations
• Design Discourse
• Fabrication/Manufacturing
• Traditional and/or Emerging Materials and Processes
• Entrepreneurship
• Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence
• Augmented/Virtual/Mixed Reality
• Soft Goods and/or Textiles Design
• Experimental Design Practice

A complete application must include and will be evaluated based on the following materials:

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue as needed until a pool of qualified candidates is established or the position is filled. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Adam Feld, Chair of the Department of Product Design or Jennie Boyd, Faculty Resource Manager.