Open Rank, Socially Engaged Design - Media and Immersive eXperience Center

Job description:

The Design School (design.asu.edu) and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS; sfis.asu.edu) at Arizona State University seek a dynamic thinker and creator for a joint, full-time faculty appointment focused on futures and socially engaged design, with a central role in the Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center (mix.asu.edu). This position will have instructional responsibilities primarily in the MS in Futures and Design, a cross-disciplinary degree program focused on leveraging emerging/XR technologies and practices to imagine, analyze and create discourse/engagement around futures scenarios and alternate realities. The rank for this position will be determined at the time of hire and can be a tenured/tenure-track or fixed-term faculty appointment, depending on experience. This appointment requires in-person instruction on both the Tempe Campus and the MIX Center in downtown Mesa.

The primary responsibilities for this position will be in the programs of the MIX Center, a cross-disciplinary trio of graduate programs bringing together researchers, designers and engineers to leverage XR technologies, immersive experience design, and practices for public impact. The successful candidate will be expected to teach and mentor students; participate in professional and university service; develop and maintain an independently funded and collaborative research program, equivalent to the rank in which they are hired; engage stakeholders in the university and the community, and demonstrate national and international leadership in their field.

The MIX Center serves a community and a university that represent a broad range of racial, cultural, and other forms of diversity. We enthusiastically welcome applications from individuals of all races, cultures, nations of origin, abilities, and gender identities.

About ASU:

Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU serves more than 80,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, the nation's fifth largest city. ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred nations across the globe.

About the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts:

Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts is the largest comprehensive design and arts school in the country, located within a dynamic research university focused on transformative change. Built on a unique combination of disciplines, the Herberger Institute comprises the Schools of Art; Arts, Media and Engineering; Music, Dance and Theatre; The Design School; The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, and the ASU Art Museum. The Herberger Institute is committed to redefining the 21st-century design and arts school through developing and scaling ideas that strengthen the role of designers and artists across all areas of society and culture, increasing the capacity of artists to make a difference in their communities. For more information on the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, visit herbergerinstitute.asu.edu.

The Design School is committed to creating inclusive spaces that welcome and celebrate cultural diversity and decolonizing design education. In the next several years, we are conducting faculty searches to help us achieve this goal. We seek colleagues who can contribute, within their design field, to justice, health, and sustainability, and work across our school’s disciplines to support ASU’s design aspirations and mission of inclusion. https://newamericanuniversity.asu.edu/about/asu-charter-mission-and-goals

About the College of Global Futures

The College of Global Futures (CGF) aims to foster learning, discovery and partnerships that drive informed, positive action, as we work together to build a better future. CGF nurtures interactions between students, staff, faculty and partners that will elevate our ability to understand complex, integrated social, environmental and technical systems, drive responsible innovation; and lead to ethical interventions that ensure a just, healthy and fulfilling future for everyone. The college is home to  four schools: the School of Sustainability, the School of Complex Adaptive Systems, the School of Ocean Futures and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS). SFIS is a transdisciplinary unit at the vanguard of ASU’s commitment to linking innovation to public value. The school pursues a vision of responsible innovation that anticipates challenges and opportunities, integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, and engages broad audiences. By examining the ways to translate imagination into innovation — and how to blend technical and social concerns along the way — we learn to build a future for everyone.

Required qualifications:

Candidates for this position must have:

1. Demonstrated excellence in and commitment to teaching in a higher education setting.
2. Demonstrate dedication to equity, diversity and inclusion.
3. A PhD or other terminal degree (MFA, MArch, JD, etc.) in a relevant field (design, HCI, future studies, etc.) or advanced degree and significant equivalent professional experience is required.
4. Demonstrate professional experience and expertise in engaged practice in a design field, including work directly with communities or diverse groups of stakeholders in the conceptualization and guidance of complex projects or processes.
5. Demonstrate experience in using futures-focused methods or foresight methodologies in their research or practice.

Desired qualifications:

Research shows that people from groups closest to the harms of institutional racism and inequality often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the desired qualifications. We believe it unlikely that anyone meets 100% of the desired qualifications. The desired qualifications represent our desire to recruit a wide pool of candidates who meet the required qualifications above and who want to join a connected, mission-driven, hard-working team of practitioners and researchers driven by creativity, curiosity, justice, and equity. If this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Highly-qualified candidates for this position may possess:

• Ability to inspire and instruct learners from diverse backgrounds. 
• Ability to communicate effectively in and across multiple disciplinary cultures.
• Significant experience in one or more design practices, including but not limited to experience design, speculative design, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, visual communications design, interior design, or industrial design. 
• Ability to integrate experiential learning in and across all aspects of student engagement.
• Expertise in engaging multiple viewpoints and audiences in a variety of formats. 
• Experience collaborating with colleagues from different disciplines to develop and grow dynamic research and academic programs.
• Experience using futures practices or foresight methodologies. 
• Demonstrated experience in working with external stakeholders and communities in a highly collaborative or co-creative manner.
• Commitment to research, creative activity and/or scholarship that has public impact outside of the academy. This could include work related to community engagement, social justice, communication of science, cross-cultural communication or similar endeavors.
• Experience teaching online or creating resources for education in an online environment.

Application deadline:

The application deadline is December 31, 2022. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool.  Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.

ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions, which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses and certifications.

Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. (See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.)

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources.  ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf  You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.

COVID-19 Vaccination - Arizona State University is a federal contractor and subject to federal regulations which may require you to produce a record of a COVID-19 vaccination. For questions about medical or religious accommodations, please visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s webpage.

Instruction to apply:

Please submit:

1. A C.V.
2. A letter of interest/cover letter that includes a description of the applicant's research and teaching interests and addresses their potential alignment with the stated values and mission of ASU and the relevant departments.
3. A statement addressing how the applicant’s past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and/or racial justice will advance ASU’s commitment to inclusive excellence.
4. Contact information for at least 3 professional or scholarly references
5. Portfolio or repository of evidence related to research and creative activity. This could take the form of a website, link to cloud-based downloads (1GB maximum file size), or a simple document with links out to previous projects.

All applications must be submitted electronically via apply.interfolio.com/117434