Assistant Professor, Tenure-Track Department of Human Centered Design

The Department of Human Centered Design brings multidisciplinary perspectives together to improve human wellbeing through design. Through transdisciplinary thinking and expertise, we bring arts and design, material and social sciences, to innovate, investigate, and address real-world challenges by using analog and digital knowledge, tools, rigorous research methods, and creative processes. Our faculty includes anthropologists, engineers, psychologists, material scientists, geographers, public health and experts in apparel, graphic, interior, industrial design and architecture.  We work together and collaborate externally with colleagues from across the university, as well as industry and non-profit community partners, to conduct research and enhance students’ learning. Using state-of-the-art lab and studio spaces, we conceptualize, prototype, and evaluate design across the range of clothing, products, buildings, and neighborhoods spaces to enhance human potential, health equity, social and environmental justice, sustainability, and community flourishing (https://www.human.cornell.edu/hcd ).

We are seeking an exceptional scholar to join our faculty in the area of Health Equity. We welcome scholars who approach their respective area of expertise from a multi-disciplinary range of perspectives to develop evidence-based critical solutions to improve lives and address current critical topics with specific attention to bridging the disparities regarding equity and social/environmental justice in human health and wellbeing.

Equity and social/environmental justice are a critical area of expertise and strength throughout the College of Human Ecology. The College has a substantial cohort of scholars who are committed to studying race, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status including the nature, persistence, and consequences of inequality. Potential topics include: mental or physical health inequalities and the built environment; design for underrepresented populations; design for vulnerable populations; design in support of more just and equitable places and organizations; and design for diverse persons and communities. The applicant should provide evidence of excellence and innovation in design research and teaching with a human-centered orientation.

Research, teaching, and engagement/outreach interests may include, but are not limited to:
·         Generating and translating novel solutions across a spectrum of products, technology, spaces, and settings to enhance human health and well-being.
·         Exploring and critiquing the role of design in producing, expressing, and shaping human health and well-being of individuals and communities.
·         Developing environmentally and socially responsible designs and products to benefit individuals, communities, and the environment. 

The successful candidate will demonstrate potential to develop a world-class, externally funded research and design program that engages with current issues around design and health equity.  Responsibilities include creating a successful research program; teaching undergraduate and graduate courses; advising undergraduate and graduate students; and providing service to the department and university community. A Ph.D. is required.

HCD has strong connections to several other units on campus. These relationships support the department’s aim to address real-world challenges and opportunities through critical, creative, and collaborative engagement with design. We seek a colleague who is committed to social and environmental justice and will advance scholarly and real-world understandings of how design shapes environments, humans, and the interaction between the two.

This position is supported in part by Cornell University’s FIRST program (Cornell FIRST), a grant from the NIH’s Common Fund’s Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program, to recruit early-career faculty who have a demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence.  http://nihfirst.cornell.edu/

Cornell has an ongoing commitment to its founding principle of educating “any person…in any study,” and the university offers a collegial and supportive campus atmosphere and high quality of life. Beyond campus, Ithaca is in the heart of the Finger Lakes region which boasts a vibrant cultural life amidst breathtaking natural beauty. A wide range of outdoor activities is close at hand in all seasons. Cornell also seeks to meet the needs of dual-career couples, with both its own Dual Career program and membership in the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to assist in dual career searches.

To Apply: Please submit your application, via http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/25317

Application Materials Required:

Submit the following items online to the website (in the link above) to complete your application:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Research statement
• Teaching statement
• Publication list
• Three representative publications
• *Experience statement (see below) (optional)
• Transcript(s) of graduate work (unofficial is acceptable)
• Three references (no actual letters, just names and email addresses )
  

And anything else requested in the position description.

*Experience Statement  (optional)

We ask applicants to share their experiences and/or approaches (past, current, or future) to fostering learning, research service, and/or outreach in a diverse community. Applicants may choose to submit a stand-alone statement or embed the information in other parts of their application materials. In the case where any of these materials are posted on the Internet, please submit a Word document describing each electronic posting and include a link (a URL) to it. The starting date for the new hire may be as early as July 1, 2024, but applications will be accepted and reviewed until the position is filled.

For further information, please contact Sienna Torbitt @ [email protected].

Pay Range:

$76,200.00 - $211,000.00

Pay Ranges:

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience.
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
• Academic Discipline (faculty pay ranges reflects 9-month annual salary)
• Unique applicable skills.

Familiarize yourself with Cornell's COVID-19 workplace guidance as well as the university's COVID-19 services and information .

Employment Assistance:

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email [email protected] .

If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell University's Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX at voice (607) 255-2242, or email at [email protected] .

Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also visit the office of Workforce Recruitment and Retention Monday - Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. to use a dedicated workstation to complete an online application.

Notice to Applicants:

Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here . This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.

EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law. 

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

2023-09-13