Assistant​/Associate Professor, Design

Organization/Company Name: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Location: San Luis Obsipo

The Experience Industry Management Department in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, is seeking a full-time, academic year, tenure‑track Assistant/Associate Professor of Experience Design, starting approximately August 12, 2027. Rank and salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The successful candidate will contribute broadly to the experience industry, with a primary scholarly and teaching emphasis on experience design.

The position offers an exciting opportunity to shape how students learn to design, deliver, and evaluate meaningful experiences across tourism, events, hospitality, sport, recreation, and emerging experience‑based sectors. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses in the Experience Industry Management Department, including courses such as Experience Design:
Theories and Applications, Introduction to the Experience Industry, Sustainability in the Experience Industry, Evaluation and Assessment Methods in the Experience Industries, Interpreting Experience Industry Data Analytics, Strategic Event Planning, and Strategic Event Implementation, and Senior Project

Duties may also include, but are not limited to, supervision of undergraduate senior projects and internships, student advising, and teaching online, or teaching in certificate programs. The successful candidate is expected to participate in scholarly activities (i.e., research, grant writing, publications, and presentations) in an area of expertise directly related to experience design, design thinking, customer/guest experience, data analytics and/or artificial intelligence, or a related field, as part of their professional development and as an integral contributor to the Experience Innovations Lab, where the candidate will play a central role in leading projects, pursuing external funding, and advancing the lab’s mission.

The successful candidate is also expected to provide service on committees for the department, college, and university and participate in related instructional activities. Expectations also include service to local, state, national, international, and related professional organizations.

Rank and salary commensurate with education and experience of the individual selected. Anticipated hiring ranges:

Assistant Professor: $90,948 – $105,156

Associate Professor: $105,492 – $114,720

This position is open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Cal Poly provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities.

Cal Poly complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy.

We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices.

An earned doctorate (Ph.D.) in experience design, tourism, event management, hospitality, sport management, recreation, marketing, psychology, or a closely related field. Candidates nearing completion of the doctorate (ABD) may be considered but must provide proof that the doctorate was awarded prior to the start of the appointment.

Candidates must demonstrate, or show…