Job Summary
Assistant Professor in Industrial Design, Tenure Track
Start date: August 16, 2027
Purdue University invites applications for a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Industrial Design to join our community of practitioners, scholars, and students in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance. We welcome applicants with a design practice and/or research agenda in one or more of the following areas: industrial design, interaction design, interactive prototyping, or user experience design. We seek applicants who can demonstrate their potential to develop a distinguished record of applied design production and innovation and/or original high-impact research within their area of focus. We encourage applicants who strive to integrate scholarship and applied practice.
In addition to industrial design courses, the successful candidate will have opportunities to contribute to design education across the curriculum through the development and teaching of new courses in design thinking for the nationally recognized Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program. The candidate may also have opportunities for teaching graduate courses in a cross-disciplinary context.
Program Overview
Housed within the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance in the College of Liberal Arts, Industrial Design is a practice-based, hands-on program with a placement rate in industry of more than 90%. At the undergraduate level, we offer a rigorous NASAD-accredited 4-year BFA professional program with approximately 140 students. We also offer a 3-year MFA with concentrations in Industrial Design and Interaction Design. As “thinkers, innovators, and makers” Purdue’s Industrial Design program constituents value direct connections with industry, entrepreneurship, and the contributions of scholarship.
Responsibilities
• Teach and mentor students through 4 courses per academic year: 2 in Industrial Design, and 2 in the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program.
• Develop and maintain an active design practice and/or research program with national and international impact through juried awards, patents, conferences, peer-reviewed publications, exhibitions or other dissemination venues appropriate to area of expertise.
• Contribute to departmental, school, and college service through committee work, curriculum development, faculty meetings, recruitment efforts, and other appropriate service activities.
Required Qualifications
Terminal degree such as MFA, MID, MS or PhD in Industrial Design, or in a closely related field.
Preferred Qualifications
Evidence of teaching effectiveness at the university level, or comparable instructional and mentoring experience in a professional setting.
Salary and Benefits
Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. The successful candidate will be eligible for health, retirement, and life insurance benefits. Purdue University’s benefit package is summarized at: www.purdue.edu/hr/Benefits/.
Procedure
Candidates should submit application materials electronically via https://careers.purdue.edu/44543 . Review of applications will begin on January 6, 2027, and continue until the position is filled.
For questions about the application procedure, contact:
Rachel Weaver, Assistant to the Head
Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance
rrweaver@purdue.edu
For questions about the position, contact:
Steve Visser, Professor of Industrial Design, Search Committee Chair
Department of Art and Design
svisser@purdue.edu
Required Application Materials
1. Letter of Interest (cover letter): The letter should include candidate’s design and/or research focus, teaching areas, industry-related experience and perceived fit for the Industrial Design program.
2. Current Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) – PDF format.
3. Names and Contact Information for Three References – please include each reference’s name, title, email address, and phone number.
4. Research or Design/Creative Statement – PDF format.
5. Teaching Statement – PDF format.
Please upload the following materials into the “Additional Documents” section:
6. Portfolio of academic and or professional work with a corresponding list with titles, dates, role in collaborative projects, and other pertinent information or a link to a personal website.
7. Portfolio of student/mentee work (if applicable) and a corresponding list with titles, courses and dates, and other pertinent information or a link to a personal teaching website.
8. Unofficial transcript for terminal degree. Official transcript will be required, if invited for an interview. All non-English transcripts must be accompanied by an official English translation – PDF format.
Employment Requirement
A background check is required for employment in this position.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Purdue University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University.