Assistant Teaching Professor – The Design Lab and Visual Arts
University of California San Diego
Position overview
Position title: Assistant Teaching Professor
Salary range: A reasonable salary range estimate for this position
is $74,600-$97,200.
The posted UC Academic salary scales set the minimum pay as
determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See the following
table(s) for the salary scale(s) for this position (https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2023-24/oct-2023-acad-salary-scales/t1-l.pdf).
The base salary range, from the salary table(s), for this position
is $74,600-$97,200.
“Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary
that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the
designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet
competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience.
Additional UCSD salary information can be found here: (https://aps.ucsd.edu/compensation/apo-salary.html)
Application Window
Open date: November 20, 2023
Next review date: Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific
Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the
committee.
Final date: Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but
those received after the review date will only be considered if the
position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The Design Lab (http://designlab.ucsd.edu) and the
Department of Visual Arts (https://visarts.ucsd.edu/) at UC
San Diego seek candidates for an Assistant Teaching Professor
faculty position to begin July 1, 2024. The teaching professor
series offers a track to security of employment (analogous to
tenure) and focuses on specialized technical education, with a
primary emphasis on teaching and pedagogical development. While
this position is not a research faculty position, members of the
series are expected to maintain professional achievement and
activity which might include research, art/design practice,
professional service, or publishing.
The Design Lab at the University of California is an
interdisciplinary, multi-departmental unit, working with all
departments and divisions of the University, including (but not
restricted to) the School of Arts and Humanities, Jacobs School of
Engineering, School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science,
Rady School of Management, School of Medicine, School of Social
Sciences, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The Design Lab fosters research and practice that centers people
and communities in designing interdisciplinary solutions to
complex, socio-technical problems. This position requires teaching
of university students and the successful candidate will be
expected to originate and teach courses to expand the Design Lab’s
and Department of Visual Arts’s undergraduate and graduate degree
programs. Particular emphasis is placed upon product, service, and
experience design taught in a hands-on studio and maker space
environment that employs rigorous human-centered design processes
and an iterative prototyping and testing approach.
While not an exhaustive list, candidates may come from the fields
of, or prepare students for careers in:
UX/UI Design
Service Design
Product or Industrial Design
Architecture and related practices
Exhibition and Immersive Experience Design
Environmental Design and related applications
VR and AR environment design
AI-supported Design
Design Education
Applicants should have fluency with multiple 3D design and modeling
software and digital workflows. They should demonstrate both
pedagogical and practical ability to translate compelling creative
concepts from ideation to realization.
Course work is expected to employ a wide range of prototyping
approaches, from basic through advanced methods (manual, CNC,
additive, subtractive, forming, electronics and microcontrollers,
etc.), embodying a wide range of materials (examples may include:
soft goods, foam, wood, metal, plastic, electronic, digital, light,
sound, structures, space, etc.) as a pedagogical tool to foster a
deeper understanding of and engagement with design methods, along
with the acquisition of hands-on skills and the appreciation of the
value of design artifacts.
The ability to connect design practices and outcomes within larger
organizational, systemic, and community needs, such as
sustainability, value creation, cradle-to-grave manufacturing,
competition and strategy, is especially desired.
The normal teaching load for this position is six courses per
academic year, shared between the Design Lab and Visual Arts. The
successful candidate will be expected to shape their own teaching
portfolio in consultation with departmental leadership, and is
encouraged to originate new courses based upon their own interests
and departmental needs.
Initial teaching assignments for this position will likely include,
for Visual Arts: (a) the multi-course series Electronic
Technologies for Art, in which students develop artworks and
installations that utilize digital electronics, exploring
techniques in digital electronic construction and computer
interfacing for interactive control of sound, lighting,
electromechanics, and programmable microcontroller systems, to
construct devices that responsively adapt artworks to conditions
involving viewer participation, space activation, and machine
intelligence, along with (b) the supervision of undergraduate
Senior Projects in Computer Arts.
For the Design Lab, initial teaching assignments will likely
include: (a) the undergraduate introductory Prototyping course,
which explores cognitive principles of thinking through making, and
introduces methods and tools for prototyping user experiences,
along with (b) the graduate Design Studio Methods course, which
expands and deepens students’ prototyping skills, rounding out
their knowledge of basic tools and techniques as they learn to
employ a broad range of advanced equipment and methods in a wide
range of materials, in order to turn concepts, sketches, and
storyboards into effective prototypes of products, services, and
experiences, and to develop an ability to plan prototyping efforts
to match the goals they serve within the design process.
Fuller descriptions of both departments’ offerings may be found at:
(https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/VIS.html)
and (https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/DSGN.html).
Candidates whose work is at the intersection of multiple research
or teaching interests are encouraged to apply.
The successful applicant will be expected to establish a vigorous,
high-quality program of design teaching, contributions to pedagogy,
and professional activity or research.
We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had a substantial
impact on academic productivity; our academic hiring processes
accommodate consideration of achievement relative to opportunity.
We encourage you to reflect on constraints on opportunity in your
field that were caused by the events of the pandemic and where
applicable, to discuss your achievements in this light.
The position will remain open until filled.
Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Candidates must have a terminal Master’s degree (MDes, MFA, MArch,
MA, MS, MBA, etc), or PhD, or advancement to candidacy (or
equivalent) in the fields of Visual Arts, Design, or another
Design-related field at the time of application.
Preferred qualifications
Preferred candidates will demonstrate teaching excellence as they
supervise and teach graduate and undergraduate students in
design-related courses; demonstrate the highest standards of
scholarship and professional activity; and contribute to an
institution that is deeply committed to justice, equity, inclusion,
and diversity. Inter- or transdisciplinary perspectives, experience
with multiple or mixed methodologies, and community-driven design
are highly valued.
Application Requirements
Document requirements
o Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated C.V.
o Cover Letter
o Statement of Research
o Statement of Teaching
o Statement of Contributions to Diversity – Applicants should
summarize their past or potential contributions to diversity. See
our /shortcuts/contributions_to_diversity site for more
information.
o Reprints of 2-3 Representative Publications or Works
o COVID Statement – We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic may
have had a substantial impact on academic productivity; our
academic hiring processes accommodate consideration of achievement
relative to opportunity. We encourage you to reflect on constraints
on opportunity in your field that were caused by the events of the
pandemic and where applicable, to discuss your achievements in this
light.
(Optional)
Reference requirements
o 3-5 letters of reference required
Apply link: https://apptrkr.com/4809739
Help contact: [email protected]
About UC San Diego
The University of California, San Diego is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive
excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for
employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age,
covered veteran status, or other protected categories covered by
the UC nondiscrimination policy.
As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all
applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining
agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or
local government directives may impose additional
requirements.
The University of California prohibits https://smokefree.ucsd.edu/ use
at all University controlled properties.
The UC San Diego Annual Security & Fire Safety Report is
available online at: https://www.police.ucsd.edu/docs/annualclery.pdf.
This report provides crime and fire statistics, as well as
institutional policy statement & procedures. Contact the UC San
Diego Police Department at (858) 534-4361 if you want to obtain
paper copies of this report.
Job location
La Jolla, CA