Job description

The Department of Product Design at the University of Kentucky invites applications for the next Department Chair. Building on an existing foundation of collaborative iteration, the new Chair will lead the next chapter of the Product Design program in its pursuit of impactful education and expanded community, industry, and international partnerships. From its inception, the Product Design program has aspired to provide accessible, timely, and critical education in the technical and ethical considerations of designing new solutions to the world’s most pressing issues; ideal candidates will articulate an actionable vision for maintaining product design’s relevance in the ever-changing landscape of design practice.

Job Description

The Chair of the Department of Product Design is a full-time faculty position with administrative responsibilities. Administration is anticipated to be 40% of the chair’s distribution of effort, with the remaining 60% allocated to teaching and research. Reporting to the Dean of the College of Design, the Chair is responsible for the overall academic, administrative, and fiscal leadership of the Department. The Chair will provide leadership in defining the strategic priorities and vision for the program and in enhancing its visibility, brand, and reputation. In this role, the Chair will be responsible for continuing to advance and strengthen curricular offerings; fostering excellence in teaching, research, and engagement; strategically managing the program's enrollment; overseeing the hiring of new full-time and part-time faculty; supporting the career advancement of faculty members; advancing innovation and multidisciplinary activities, and working collaboratively with College leadership and departmental faculty to effectively manage program resources. The Chair should promote a work and learning environment that fosters entrepreneurship, growth, collaboration, and shared governance.

The position will commence on July 1, 2026. This is a 12-month appointment at the rank of associate or full professor. The term of appointment is four years and is renewable for an additional four years. Salary is competitive and based on qualifications and experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the operational and fiscal management of the Program;
• Develop course schedules and faculty teaching assignments;
• Evaluate the effectiveness of courses, the program, and curriculum;
• Actively mentor faculty members and support their ongoing efforts to advance scholarly and creative activities;
• Guide Product Design faculty through performance review processes, and clearly communicate specific University and College policies that inform such processes;
• Represent and advocate for the Department and College to external constituencies including alumni, members of the profession, other university units and potential partners;
• Pursue scholarship, endowment, and other philanthropic opportunities for students and the department;
• Facilitate the resolution of issues and problems that may arise between faculty, staff, and students;
• Serve on University and College-wide committees;
• Maintain currency in teaching and learning tools, methods, and pedagogical approaches;
• Maintain a scholarly agenda, including continued research and publication or distinguished creative or design practice;
• Foster interdepartmental collaboration and enhance the reputation of the University of Kentucky College of Design in academic and professional circles as well as the community at large; and
• Work with the Student Success team to recruit and retain talented undergraduate and future graduate students while strategically managing enrollment.

Required Qualifications

The Chair must possess the ability to lead the department in a way that prioritizes its collaborative, iterative approach to design education, grows its academic excellence, maintains its collegial quality, and develops opportunities for sustainable development and growth. Ideal candidates should demonstrate:

• Completion of PhD, MFA, MA, MDes, MS, or equivalent terminal degree in industrial design, product design, or relevant discipline;
• Ability to meet the requirements for the rank of Associate or Full Professor at the University of Kentucky;
• Proven leadership and administrative skills and a vision to advance the Department to national and international prominence;
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively to internal (students, faculty, staff) and external audiences (alumni, donors, professional contacts);
• Commitment to consensus building between faculty, students and staff and ability to work effectively within a team;
• Effective budget preparation and management skills to support student, faculty, and department goals;
• Evidence of excellence in product design practice and establishment of professional networks spanning the design disciplines;
• Evidence of creative accomplishment within social, cultural, historical, economic, or technological contexts and a strong interest in community-engaged projects in the teaching environment;
• Strong research methodologies integrating design thinking, design theory, and design process;
• Experience with curriculum development and assessment, motivating students and faculty to think creatively and critically about design education;
• Strong teaching philosophy combining theory and practice, and the ability to nurture students’ development with a comprehensive vision of contemporary design, culture, and global society.


Background

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 tools, interfaces, and services that humans leverage to meet their goals across the expanse of traditional and emerging professions. The department has 50+ students majoring in Product Design and serves an additional 40+ students annually from other disciplines through collaborative and UK Core Education courses. 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.

There are four thematic areas within the Product Design curriculum — Means of Communication, Means of Production, Design Contexts, and Design Studios — with each containing a series of courses. Several courses in the Product Design curriculum also satisfy UK Core Education requirements in three areas (Humanities, Global Dynamics, and Natural Sciences), expanding awareness of the design profession to all interested students on campus.

The curriculum offers students the opportunity to study at a Research-1 institution, with time in their schedules to pursue a minor outside of product design. Additionally, the junior year includes a dedicated semester for participating in internships/co-ops, study abroad (utilizing UK’s extensive network of partner institutions), or other opportunities away from campus. These off-campus experiences lead into the senior thesis project which spans two semesters, allowing for deep research and design refinement during each student’s final, self-driven project. The Minor in Product Design requires 19 credit hours of Product Design courses, including history and ethics, basic skills, and a collaborative, project-based studio experience.

The University of Kentucky College of Design is a vibrant academic community and a dynamic hub for regional, national, and global conversations about design. Shaped by the distinctive character of our region, the breadth of our disciplines, and the various backgrounds of our students, faculty, and staff, we are supported by the resources and infrastructure of a leading Research-1, land-grant university.

We value design as a human-centered, inherently optimistic activity and embrace the unique strengths of our disciplines while collaborating in a transdisciplinary environment. Our programs balance theoretical foundations, conceptual design thinking, technical understanding, and the act of making as crucial elements of an iterative process leading to impactful design. Learning, teaching, and research in the College of Design explore the interconnected relationships between human experience, built and natural environments, and designed objects and systems. Our areas of research specialization include history, theory, and criticism; digital fabrication and simulation; materials innovation; community resiliency; sustainability and preservation; and design for health and well-being.

The College of Design’s home, the Gray Design Building, is 100,000 square feet of open studio space, state-of-the-art fabrication lab facilities, classrooms, offices and event spaces — a place where students of architecture, interiors, historic preservation, product design, and landscape architecture — can all learn and work together in a modern, cross-disciplinary environment. Built in 1917, the former tobacco warehouse has been transformed into an open, dynamic space that encourages interaction and collaboration between students and faculty of various disciplines. The Gray Design Building was more than a renovation project — it serves as a prime example of adaptive reuse and sustainable building practices, effective collaboration between global and local design teams, and symbolizes a bridge between the building's industrial past and its innovative future as a hub for design education. This transformative renovation was completed in 2024, with the College moving into its new home in Spring of 2024.