What are the responsibilities and job description for the Associate Professor and Program Head of Industrial Design position at Design Observer?
Description
The Design School in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University seeks a full-time, academic year (9-month), Associate Professor of Industrial Design who will also serve as a Program Head beginning August 2025. This is a tenure-track faculty position with an administrative appointment and includes undergraduate/graduate teaching, research/creative activity, and service responsibilities on the Tempe campus.
About Industrial Design Program
Our top-ranked Industrial Design Program maintains a tradition of academic excellence and has become a leader in transdisciplinary teaching, processes of innovation, and design research. Faculty in Industrial Design have established research and design projects with corporations such as Adidas, Herman Miller, Honeywell, Intel Corporation, Motorola, Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Disney Consumer Products, LG Electronics, and Samsung America. Faculty have expertise in many areas of Industrial Design, including human factors and ergonomics, consumer electronics, graphic design, transportation, branding, universal design, social sustainability, design education, digital visualization, rapid prototyping, innovation studies, and UI/UX.
The Industrial Design program at ASU focuses on a new model of transdisciplinary product development called Integrated Innovation. The primary goal of Integrated Innovation is to produce transdisciplinary design solutions that meet people’s needs in unexpected ways, create value in the marketplace, and improve society and the environment.
About The Position
The Design School is committed to advancing its mission and programs through a collaborative leadership model that fosters innovation, inclusivity, and excellence. Upon hire, the successful candidate will serve as a co-program head of the Industrial Design program alongside the current program head, ensuring a smooth transition of leadership. After one year, they will assume full responsibility as program head, leading the program with vision and purpose.
The ideal candidate will be a collaborative and detail-oriented leader who excels at building partnerships to strengthen and advance the Industrial Design program. They will bring a forward-looking perspective to curriculum development, integrating innovation, interdisciplinary approaches, and the evolving role of design in addressing complex global challenges. With a focus on academic and professional excellence, they will help shape the program to prepare students for leadership in the dynamic field of industrial design.
This role involves contributing to the leadership and development of the Industrial Design program, collaborating with faculty to define and implement a strategic vision that aligns with the school’s mission and industry advancements. Responsibilities will also include program administration, course scheduling, curriculum development and coordination, faculty support, and student engagement, fostering initiatives that respond to the needs of the program and the broader industry.
They will support curriculum innovation by integrating emerging technologies and methodologies to prepare students for the evolving future of design. Alongside these duties, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses across studio, lecture, and seminar formats is required, as well as providing mentorship to students to foster their academic and professional growth. They will develop and sustain a record of research/creative activities that includes external funding and peer-reviewed publications.
Required Qualifications
The Design School in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University seeks a full-time, academic year (9-month), Associate Professor of Industrial Design who will also serve as a Program Head beginning August 2025. This is a tenure-track faculty position with an administrative appointment and includes undergraduate/graduate teaching, research/creative activity, and service responsibilities on the Tempe campus.
About Industrial Design Program
Our top-ranked Industrial Design Program maintains a tradition of academic excellence and has become a leader in transdisciplinary teaching, processes of innovation, and design research. Faculty in Industrial Design have established research and design projects with corporations such as Adidas, Herman Miller, Honeywell, Intel Corporation, Motorola, Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Disney Consumer Products, LG Electronics, and Samsung America. Faculty have expertise in many areas of Industrial Design, including human factors and ergonomics, consumer electronics, graphic design, transportation, branding, universal design, social sustainability, design education, digital visualization, rapid prototyping, innovation studies, and UI/UX.
The Industrial Design program at ASU focuses on a new model of transdisciplinary product development called Integrated Innovation. The primary goal of Integrated Innovation is to produce transdisciplinary design solutions that meet people’s needs in unexpected ways, create value in the marketplace, and improve society and the environment.
About The Position
The Design School is committed to advancing its mission and programs through a collaborative leadership model that fosters innovation, inclusivity, and excellence. Upon hire, the successful candidate will serve as a co-program head of the Industrial Design program alongside the current program head, ensuring a smooth transition of leadership. After one year, they will assume full responsibility as program head, leading the program with vision and purpose.
The ideal candidate will be a collaborative and detail-oriented leader who excels at building partnerships to strengthen and advance the Industrial Design program. They will bring a forward-looking perspective to curriculum development, integrating innovation, interdisciplinary approaches, and the evolving role of design in addressing complex global challenges. With a focus on academic and professional excellence, they will help shape the program to prepare students for leadership in the dynamic field of industrial design.
This role involves contributing to the leadership and development of the Industrial Design program, collaborating with faculty to define and implement a strategic vision that aligns with the school’s mission and industry advancements. Responsibilities will also include program administration, course scheduling, curriculum development and coordination, faculty support, and student engagement, fostering initiatives that respond to the needs of the program and the broader industry.
They will support curriculum innovation by integrating emerging technologies and methodologies to prepare students for the evolving future of design. Alongside these duties, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses across studio, lecture, and seminar formats is required, as well as providing mentorship to students to foster their academic and professional growth. They will develop and sustain a record of research/creative activities that includes external funding and peer-reviewed publications.
Required Qualifications
- A terminal degree (e.g., MID, MFA, MDes, PhD or equivalent) in Industrial Design or related field.
- Demonstrated excellence in teaching with a minimum of five years of experience teaching industrial design courses at the university-level.
- A record of established research/creative activities within the discipline of Industrial Design, with demonstrated potential to achieve and sustain national and/or international recognition.
- A strong advocacy for industrial design, with a demonstrated focus on transdisciplinary, real-world experiences and connections to industry, sustainability, and social innovation.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively manage operational tasks, including program administration, curriculum coordination, faculty support, and student engagement.
- Demonstrated academic leadership experience, with 2–5 years of relevant experience, and a proven ability to mentor varied faculty in teaching, research, and creative activity.
- Demonstrated flexibility and willingness to teach in both in-person and online formats, adapting instructional methods to varied learning environments.
- Five or more years of creative professional practice experience in Industrial Design.
- A research and/or creative practice that thrives at the intersection of disciplines or spans multiple fields, contributing to interdisciplinary collaboration within the Institute or across campus.
- A proven ability to attract funding and partnerships to support research or creative endeavors, as well as projects within the Industrial Design program, ensuring sustainability and impact.
- The capacity to build and support meaningful community partnerships in equitable, ethical, and sustainable ways.
- Experience in managing day-to-day program operations effectively while collaborating on strategic visioning.
