Temporary Assistant Professor

About the role

Job description The Department of Product Design at the University of Kentucky is currently accepting applications for a Temporary Assistant Professor (non-tenure-eligible) for the 2026-2027 academic year. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about design education and the critical role educators play in equipping students for careers across the spectrum of product design practice. This position is open to a wide range of backgrounds and experiences in the product design field and, while preferred, teaching experience in higher education is not required. This position is a full-time 9-month appointment with an anticipated start date of August 1, 2026, and an appointment period of one year to end May 15, 2027. Job Summary This position supports the educational mission of the Product Design program, focusing on quality instruction across studio, lecture, and/or workshop courses in our newly revised undergraduate curriculum. Applicants should have a strong understanding of human-centered design processes as applied to the development and delivery of physical and/or digital products, systems, or services. Ideal candidates should be qualified and able to teach at any level of our four-year undergraduate program and contribute to multiple courses within the curriculum's course series: Studios (hands-on, applied projects), Means of Communication (drawing, visualization, graphics), Means of Production (CAD, materials, prototyping, UX/UI), and Design Contexts (history, ethics, professional practice); opportunities to offer special topic electives courses also exist in this role. This is a teaching position with no expectation of research; however, the selected candidate will contribute to service activities of the Department of Product Design. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue as needed until a pool of qualified candidates is established or the position is filled. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Adam Feld, Chair of the Department of Product Design or Jennie Boyd, Faculty Resource Manager: jennie.boyd@uky.edu. For more information about the Department of Product Design, the College of Design, and the University of Kentucky, please visit: https://design.uky.edu Skills/Knowledge/Abilities and Required Related Experience: Candidates of interest will have the following qualifications: - A professional or terminal degree in product design or related field (BS, BID, BA, MS, MDes, etc.). Outstanding professional work and experience may be considered as a substitution for a terminal degree. - Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of students, faculty, staff, and other members of the educational environment. - Strong understanding and application of design process within or across a range of industries. About the Department of Product Design Launched in 2020, the Department of Product Design offers a Bachelor of Science in Product Design and, following a recent curriculum revision, a new Minor in Product Design, programs which balance technical and conceptual instruction across physical and digital product development. Housed in the College of Design, the Department of Product Design contributes to critical examinations of the built environment, specifically designing the props for our lives: the tools, interfaces, and services that humans leverage to meet their goals across the expanse of traditional and emerging professions. The department has 50+ majors and serves an additional 40+ students annually through collaborative courses offered to Biomedical Engineering students and courses that satisfy UK's Core requirements. The faculty in Product Design represent a wide spectrum of design experience and pedagogical perspectives, exemplifying a commitment to diversity of design practice pathways and modeling for students inclusive and collaborative approaches to career success. In its short history, the department has aimed to link design education to real-world applications in our local region, working with partners in aviation, personal protective equipment, medical device development, the distilling industry, and humanitarian and disaster relief providers. The Product Design Department has close ties with the University of Kentucky's UK Innovate initiative, linking campus expertise with local and national industry needs. The Product Design curriculum aims to provide instruction in foundational concepts, introductory and advanced skills, and methods and frameworks that can be applied to the worlds of physical product design and digital product design. These goals are supported by four thematic areas within the curriculum - Means of Communication, Means of Production, Design Contexts, and Design Studios - with each containing a series of courses devoted to skill- and mind set advancement. Several courses in the Product Design curriculum also satisfy UK Core Education requirements in three areas (Humanities, Global Dy

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