Assistant or Associate Professor, Immersive Healthcare Experiences

Virginia Tech•Blacksburg, VA

5d•$75,000 - $135,000

About The Position

Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts and Design invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in Immersive Healthcare Experiences, with an anticipated start date of August 10, 2027. The successful candidate will be a scholar, designer, and educator whose work advances the design, development, and evaluation of immersive, human-centered experiences in healthcare and health systems. The position is part of Virginia Tech’s Smart Healthcare Hub, based in Roanoke, and will contribute to interdisciplinary research, innovation, and teaching at the intersection of immersive technologies, healthcare simulation, digital health, experience and experiential design, operations, and human-centered systems. The candidate’s tenure home will be in one of the College’s four schools—Architecture, Design, Performing Arts, or Visual Arts—in alignment with their disciplinary expertise. The role is situated in a multidisciplinary and collaborative environment emphasizing innovation, experiential learning, translational research, and community engagement. The candidate will develop and sustain an independent, externally funded research program, or contribute as a collaborator, and conduct research or creative scholarship focused on healthcare improvement. Areas may include immersive environments, healthcare operations, digital health, simulation, patient engagement, workforce training, human factors, clinical workflow design, or healthcare systems innovation. The candidate will collaborate across disciplines and with healthcare systems, industry, community organizations, and research partners, and disseminate work through publications, exhibitions, performances, digital products, and presentations. The faculty member will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in areas such as immersive experience design, XR technologies, human-centered design, digital visualization, and healthcare innovation; develop interdisciplinary curricula; and mentor undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. They will also participate in departmental, college, and university service, contribute to the strategic development of the Smart Healthcare Hub, support academic and clinical collaboration, and engage in professional service and leadership. The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design brings together visual arts, performing arts, architecture, and design in an interdisciplinary environment grounded in experiential learning, creative exploration, and collaborative problem solving. Its programs and facilities are in Blacksburg and Northern Virginia, with global learning opportunities through the Steger Center for International Scholarship in Switzerland. The College is committed to a respectful, student-focused, service-oriented community and to advancing creativity, discovery, and the public good.

Requirements

Master’s degree (MArch, MFA, or MDes) in a relevant field such as Architecture, Design, Digital Media, Experience/Experiential Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related discipline by the appointment start date.
Evidence of scholarly, creative, or applied professional achievement.
Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching and student mentorship.
Ability to collaborate effectively across disciplines and with external stakeholders.
Strong communication and organizational skills.
Commitment to inclusive excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and student-centered learning.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree in an allied field such as Architecture, Design, Digital Media, Experience/Experiential Design, or Human-Computer Interaction.
Experience developing or evaluating immersive healthcare experiences in clinical, educational, operational, or community settings.
Expertise in experience/experiential design.
Expertise in VR/AR/MR/XR development.
Expertise in simulation-based education.
Expertise in human-centered design.
Expertise in digital twins.
Expertise in interactive storytelling.
Expertise in visualization and rendering.
Expertise with game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine.
Expertise in motion capture or virtual production.
Expertise in service design.
Expertise in AI-enabled immersive systems.
Experience securing external funding or participating in sponsored research.
Evidence of interdisciplinary research or creative collaboration.
Experience partnering with healthcare systems, simulation centers, or industry collaborators.

Responsibilities

Establish and sustain an independent, externally funded research program focused on immersive healthcare experiences, as a lead investigator or collaborator.
Conduct innovative research and/or creative scholarship related to immersive environments, healthcare operations, digital health, simulation, patient engagement, workforce training, human factors, clinical workflow design, or healthcare systems innovation.
Collaborate across healthcare, engineering, architecture, design, computer science, media arts, public health, and operations.
Disseminate scholarly and creative work through peer-reviewed publications, exhibitions, performances, digital products, and national or international presentations.
Build partnerships with healthcare systems, industry, community organizations, and research collaborators.
Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in immersive experience or experiential design, XR technologies, human-centered design, digital visualization, healthcare innovation, or related areas aligned with the candidate’s interests.
Develop interdisciplinary curricula integrating immersive technologies, healthcare applications, and experiential learning.
Mentor undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in research, creative inquiry, and applied innovation projects.
Participate in departmental, college, and university service activities.
Contribute to the strategic development of the Smart Healthcare Hub.
Support interdisciplinary collaboration across academic and clinical units.
Engage in professional service and leadership within relevant academic, healthcare, and technology communities.