Assistant or Associate Professor of Industrial Design, Full Time, Tenure-Track

Commonwealth of Massachusetts•Boston, MA

2d•$72,000 - $78,000

About The Position

Massachusetts College of Art and Design invites accomplished industrial designers and educators to apply for a full-time, tenure-track position in its Industrial Design Department at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. The successful candidate will have notable professional design experience and a practice connecting physical products with the digital, service, and systemic dimensions that shape how products are made, perceived, and experienced. They will contribute broadly across the undergraduate curriculum and support a collaborative, student-centered studio culture grounded in physical making. The role calls for an understanding of products as complete experiences and ecosystems, encompassing form, materials, manufacturing, digital behavior, interfaces, services, human factors, and social and environmental contexts. The successful candidate will help prepare students to engage with AI as a creative tool and as a material in intelligent products, while developing judgment, taste, and critical framing. They will bring awareness of emerging trends such as circular and regenerative design, the convergence of physical and digital experiences, and new models of production and entrepreneurship. MassArt's Industrial Design program prepares students to develop meaningful products, experiences, and systems through hands-on studio learning that integrates research, drawing, form development, modeling, prototyping, human factors, materials and manufacturing, professional practice, and visual and verbal communication. Faculty share responsibility for curriculum development, student support, professional growth, and relationships with alumni, industry, community partners, and the wider design community. The successful candidate will contribute to the department's shared culture and future direction, with the potential to grow into leadership responsibilities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in industrial design, product design, or a closely related field.
Notable professional experience in industrial or product design, demonstrated through a strong portfolio of completed work that shows the design process.
Demonstrated competency in teaching, mentoring, or comparable educational experience in studio-based design.
Ability to balance aesthetic, technical, material, systemic, and human considerations in design practice.
Demonstrated competency in physical and digital making, prototyping, materials and manufacturing, and contemporary design tools and methods.
Evidence of collaborative practice and effective communication, and commitment to student success.
Commitment to working with and supporting a diverse and inclusive academic community.

Nice To Haves

Terminal degree in industrial design, product design, or a related field, or a record of professional achievement demonstrating equivalent preparation.
College-level teaching beyond teaching-assistant experience across more than one area or level of an industrial design curriculum.
Experience connecting physical products with digital behavior, interfaces, services, or broader systems.
Experience developing or evaluating AI-assisted and computational workflows in professional practice or design education.
Evidence of curriculum development, interdisciplinary collaboration, industry partnerships, or community-engaged work.
Evidence of leadership in professional practice, education, research, or collaborative initiatives.
Capacity to contribute to graduate programs.

Responsibilities

Teach six courses per academic year, including studio, lecture, and technical courses at multiple levels of the Industrial Design curriculum.
Teach through an iterative, student-centered studio process connecting research, drawing, digital and physical modeling, testing, refinement, and presentation when appropriate.
Help students understand products as integrated physical, digital, service, and system experiences while emphasizing the material and form-based foundations of industrial design.
Introduce computational and AI-assisted methods when they support learning, and help students assess their appropriateness, ethics, and usefulness.
Advise, mentor, evaluate, and support students' learning and growth while accounting for their varied backgrounds and levels of preparation.
Collaborate with faculty and the department chair on department culture, curriculum development and assessment, studio teaching practices, course sequencing, and emerging areas of industrial design education.
Develop relationships with industry, alumni, community organizations, and academic programs that create learning opportunities and illuminate connections among design decisions, business strategy, brand, and market context.
Maintain an active professional, creative, scholarly, or research practice that informs teaching and contributes to the field.
Participate in departmental and college-wide service, including peer reviews, committees, exhibitions, recruitment, advising, and shared governance.
Contribute to the department's future direction and demonstrate the capacity to grow into leadership responsibilities.