Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Experience Design

Bentley University•Waltham, MA

67d•Onsite

About The Position

The Experience Design Department at Bentley University invites applications for a tenure track Assistant Professor position in Experience Design, to begin 7/1/2027. Applications are welcome from candidates who will hold a Ph.D. by the start date and are seeking appointment at the assistant professor level, including early-career scholars and current assistant professors whose research and teaching align strongly with the department’s strengths in experience design (XD), user experience (UX), human-centered design, human-computer interaction (HCI), human factors, information design, and emerging technologies as they relate to human-centered design. The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching in XD and Human Factors in Information Design (HFID), with highest priority placed on the ability or clear potential to teach design-focused courses in interaction design, prototyping, and studio-based experience design, and additional value placed on the ability to teach practice oriented research courses. Across both design and research courses, the department values theoretical grounding in perception, cognition, behavioral science, engineering psychology, and human factors, as well as clear application to experience design practice. Strong candidates will be able to bridge research and practice, producing impactful scholarship while preparing students to address contemporary experience design and human-centered technology challenges in professional settings. We welcome qualified candidates whose paths connect academic research, professional practice, and industry experience. Bentley is committed to the teacher-scholar model where teaching, scholarship, service and community engagement are expected and valued. We seek qualified faculty who represent diverse backgrounds, interests and talents and share a commitment to high ethical standards and a willingness to embrace challenge and change.

Requirements

Ph.D. in a field relevant to the theory and practice of experience design, or scheduled to complete Ph.D. by September 1, 2027.
Teaching potential or experience relevant to design-focused, studio-based, and/or practice-oriented research courses in experience design.
Scholarly, applied research, or practice-based research agenda connected to experience design practice.
Service potential or experience appropriate to career stage.
Clear connection to the theory and practice of experience design, UX, or human-centered design.
Evidence of potential for, or a record of, effective teaching, student mentoring, scholarly publication, applied research, practice-based research, or related work appropriate to career stage.

Nice To Haves

Teaching expertise or experience in visual design, prototyping, interaction design, applied design studios, making, UX/HCI, human factors, design research, usability and evaluation, design strategy, product design, service design, systems design, service learning, sponsored projects, or community engaged projects.
Research expertise in applied HCI research, design methods research, UX research, usability and human factors studies, participatory or co-design, accessibility and inclusive design, systems design, systemic design, transition design, human-centered AI, responsible innovation, evidence-based design, design pedagogy, or professional design scholarship.
Professional industry experience.
Applied research collaborations, sponsored projects, consulting, community-engaged design, practitioner partnerships, translational research, evidence-based design work, or scholarship that informs experience design practice, industry-relevant problem solving, and real-world impact.
Teaching, scholarship, or applied projects that could contribute to high-visibility student engagement work involving prototyping, making, emerging technologies, community-oriented collaborations, and campus-based innovation spaces.
Ability or clear potential to contribute to the continued growth, visibility, and impact of experience design within a business university environment.

Responsibilities

Contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching in XD and Human Factors in Information Design (HFID).
Teach design-focused courses in interaction design, prototyping, and studio-based experience design.
Teach practice oriented research courses.
Bridge research and practice, producing impactful scholarship.
Prepare students to address contemporary experience design and human-centered technology challenges in professional settings.
Collaborate, develop curriculum, mentor graduate students, build external partnerships, and contribute to program building over time.
Engage in teaching, scholarship, service, and community engagement.