Professor of Product Design (Open Rank)

University of Louisville · Belknap Campus

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Position Description:

The University of Louisville invites applications for a tenure-track Professor of Product Design, Open Rank. We seek a practitioner-scholar whose work bridges human-centered design, three-dimensional form development, and hands-on fabrication.

The successful candidate will guide students through the full design process, from ideation, research, and prototyping to finished form, while emphasizing sustainable and materially responsible practices. We welcome candidates whose work engages physical products, systems, emerging technologies, sustainable design, social innovation, or related areas of contemporary product design practice. The successful candidate will prepare students to contribute to interdisciplinary teams and contemporary design practice.

Program and Institutional Context
The University of Louisville is a Carnegie R1 research university located in a dynamic metropolitan region with strong connections to manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and civic innovation.

The Hite Institute of Art + Design is the most comprehensive art and design program in Kentucky, offering BA, BFA, MA, and MFA degrees across multiple disciplines. The Design program is grounded in a shared first-year foundation and includes coordinated tracks in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Product Design, and Interior Design.

Students benefit from robust campus partnerships, community-engaged initiatives, and an active internship network throughout Louisville's cultural and innovation ecosystem.

Facilities & Resources
Product Design faculty and students benefit from facilities that connect traditional craft, contemporary design practice, and advanced engineering innovation. Resources include Hite's glass, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and ceramics studios; the Cressman Center for Visual Arts; Rowan, the graduate studio building; and the J.B. Speed School of Engineering's new 114,000-square-foot Student Success and Research Building, which houses advanced makerspaces, fabrication labs, research facilities, and collaborative studios.

Additional opportunities are available through the Additive Manufacturing Institute of Science and Technology (AMIST), a world-class center for metal, polymer, and ceramic additive manufacturing. Together, these resources support interdisciplinary teaching, research, and industry-engaged projects. Faculty are provided with individual studio space as well as access to shared instructional and fabrication facilities.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses that include drawing, form-giving, fabrication, prototyping, and human-centered research methods.

• Contribute to curriculum development and interdisciplinary initiatives.

• Mentor students through portfolio development, internships, independent study, and capstone projects.

• Research / Creative Practice

• Maintain an active and visible program of creative practice, scholarship, and/or professional design activity appropriate for a tenure-track appointment.

• Disseminate work through appropriate venues (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, exhibitions, conferences, patents, juried shows, industry partnerships).

• Pursue external funding or sponsored collaborations when appropriate.

• Collaborate with the J.B. Speed School of Engineering on shared programs, facilities, and interdisciplinary initiatives.

• Participate in departmental, college, and university service, including curriculum development, committee work, and student mentorship.

• Engage with professional organizations and regional, national, or international design communities.

Required Qualifications

• Terminal degree in Product Design, Industrial Design, or a closely related field (MFA, MID, or equivalent) completed by the start date; ABD considered.

• Expertise in product design processes, form development, fabrication, and prototype-driven making.

• Evidence of effective university-level teaching or equivalent instructional experience.

• Strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual rigor, formal sophistication, and material exploration.

• Commitment to inclusive pedagogy and student mentorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating human-centered design and user research into studio teaching.

• Experience with makerspaces, digital fabrication, additive manufacturing, or related technical facilities.

• Interest in interdisciplinary collaborations involving design, engineering, or other STEM fields.

• Record of industry collaboration, sponsored projects, community-engaged work, or externally funded research.

Application Instructions
Applicants must apply online.

Review of applications will begin immediately. Questions about the position may be directed to Trysh Wahlig, Chair, Product Design Search Committee, trysh.wahlig@louisville.edu.

In addition to the required Workday application, applicants should email the following materials as attached PDFs to: Trysh Wahlig, Chair, Product Design Search Committee
 trysh.wahlig@louisville.edu
External websites, cloud drives, and hosted portfolios will not be reviewed. Please name files using the format: LastName_FirstName_DocumentName

1. Statements and Cover Letter (single PDF)

• Cover Letter (1–2 pages)

• Teaching Statement (1 page)

• Research/Creative Practice Statement (1 page)

• Contact information for three references

2. Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
3. Professional Portfolio (PDF, up to 20 pages)
4. Teaching Portfolio (optional, PDF, up to 20 pages)

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Louisville is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The University strives to provide equal employment opportunity on the basis of merit and without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, or pregnancy. In accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veteran Readjustment Act of 1974, the University prohibits job discrimination of individuals with disabilities, Vietnam era veterans, qualified special disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans. The University acknowledges its obligations to ensure affirmative steps are taken to ensure equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. It is the policy of the University that no employee or applicant for employment be subject to unlawful discrimination in terms of recruitment, hiring, promotion, contract, contract renewal, tenure, compensation, benefits, and/or working conditions. No employee or applicant for employment is required to endorse or condemn a specific ideology, political viewpoint, or social viewpoint to be eligible for hiring, contract renewal, tenure, or promotion.

Consistent with applicable law, demographic information is collected for aggregate reporting requirements. Demographic information provided through this application is not available to hiring managers/committees and is not considered in hiring or employment decisions.

Assistance and Accommodations

Computers are available for application submission at the Human Resources Department located at 2315 South First Street Walk, Room 02C - Louisville, Kentucky 40292.

If you require assistance or accommodation with our online application process, please contact us by email at employment@louisville.edu or by phone 502-852-6258.

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