Assistant/Associate Professor in User Experience and User Interface Design (Tenure-Track)

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL • Urbana, IL

75d • $75,000 - $95,000

About The Position

The School of Art & Design, housed within the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, invites applications for two full-time tenure-track faculty positions in User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with an anticipated start date of August 16, 2026. These positions will play a central role in the development and instruction of the BS in Computer Science + Design degree, a collaborative program that bridges design and technology. Faculty will contribute to three programs including Graphic Design, Industrial Design and Studio Art to foster interdisciplinary teaching and research. We seek a candidate with a terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or equivalent) in a field engaging art, design, and computation. The ideal candidate will be both a practicing artist/critical designer-with a strong record of public engagement through exhibitions, installations, and/or performances-and a researcher whose writing and publishing investigate the social, cultural, and aesthetic dimensions of computation. Candidates should demonstrate expertise in computational media and contribute through creative interventions in areas such as but not limited to: Artificial Intelligence as medium and cultural system, Platform culture, computational logics, and interface aesthetics, Digital rights, privacy, and ethics of computation, Race, gender, and technology, Algorithmic bias, equity, and social justice, Design for Accessibility, Bio-art, Art-science, Data Visualization, and emerging crossover disciplines, including Behavioral Sciences, Code as art. We are looking for an artist-designer-researcher whose creative practice and critical inquiry together advance new ways of engaging with computation, interface, and interaction in their wider cultural, social, and political dimensions.

Requirements

• Terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.
• Evidence of an active creative practice with a strong record of public engagement through exhibition, installation, and/or performance.
• Evidence of critical research through writing, publishing, or equivalent scholarly contributions that engage computational media, design, and the arts.
• Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and curriculum development at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive academic environment and contributing to the diversity of the School and University.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in relevant discipline.
• Familiarity with and a critical perspective on historical approaches to experience design.
• Practice, teaching, and/or research that connect to one or more of the following areas of design: Gender and Design, Equity and Design, Indigenous Design Knowledges, and Design Futures.
• Familiarity with liberatory pedagogical approaches.
• A critical perspective on social biases embedded in technological systems.
• Experience teaching in a program that integrates Design, Technology, and Science.

Responsibilities

• Teach two courses per semester that position computation as an artistic and critical design medium.
• Teach introductory coding for creative practice to advanced, research-driven practice and method-based seminars.
• Contribute to both undergraduate and graduate curricula.
• Mentor students across disciplines.
• Help shape the evolving identity of computational art and critical design within the School of Art and Design.

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $75,000 to $80,000 at the Assistant Professor level and $88,000 to $95,000 at the Associate Professor level.
• Comprehensive benefits portfolio.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Educational Services
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees