Assistant or Associate Professor, Furniture Design Rhode Island School of Design

The Depart­ment of Furni­ture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) invites appli­ca­tions for a full-time faculty appoint­ment at the rank of Assis­tant or Asso­ciate Profes­sor, to commence in fall 2027. Rank will be depen­dent on profes­sional status and teaching experience.

RISD recog­nizes prin­ci­ples of social equity, inclu­sion, and diver­sity as funda­men­tal to its mission as an art and design school. These prin­ci­ples require sustained atten­tion to a multi­plic­ity of differ­ences and call for an expan­sion of the forms of knowl­edge that shape our curric­ula and peda­gogy. RISD is commit­ted to the collec­tive work of insti­tu­tional trans­for­ma­tion and values appli­cants whose teach­ing, peda­gog­i­cal and profes­sional expe­ri­ences have prepared them to foster and sustain equi­table learn­ing envi­ron­ments. We espe­cially welcome faculty whose peda­gogy engages diverse perspec­tives, expands forms of knowl­edge, and helps foster a culture of belong­ing where all students, staff, and faculty can thrive.

The Depart­ment of Furni­ture Design seeks candi­dates who exem­plify excel­lence in the field of furni­ture and object design. Appli­cants should be capable of guiding students through idea gener­a­tion, design devel­op­ment, and object-making with a variety of fabri­ca­tion tech­nolo­gies and processes, applied to a wide range of mate­ri­als. Faculty in the Depart­ment of Furni­ture Design are expected to teach across the curricu­lum, includ­ing intro­duc­tory courses, special topics studios, and senior degree project/​graduate thesis. The department’s peda­gogy and curricu­lum seeks to unify think­ing and making, and faculty engage­ment with students requires fluid­ity between prag­matic, concep­tual, tech­ni­cal, and aesthetic concerns. With studio facil­i­ties for wood, metal, plas­tics, uphol­stery, digital fabri­ca­tion, design, and drawing, faculty work closely with students in devel­op­ing their work from initial concept to highly resolved object.

The depart­ment actively engages with the broader networks of art, design, craft, and indus­try, foster­ing rela­tion­ships that connect students and faculty to diverse prac­tices, commu­ni­ties, and profes­sional contexts. We value appli­cants who bring expe­ri­ence and inter­est in devel­op­ing curric­u­lar initia­tives, part­ner­ships, and collab­o­ra­tions, and who thrive in envi­ron­ments where knowl­edge is shared across disci­plines and between acad­e­mic, cultural, and profes­sional spheres. Appli­cants should see the expan­sive field of furni­ture design as an oppor­tu­nity to build connec­tions across prac­tices and contribute to evolv­ing conver­sa­tions within the field and its wider networks

Required Qual­i­fi­ca­tions

A Master’s degree or Bachelor’s degree.

Evidence of a high level of creative prac­tice demon­strated by all or some of the follow­ing: a record of exhi­bi­tions; commer­cial work with indus­try; receipt of grants, fellow­ships, prizes or resi­den­cies; cover­age in rele­vant media; lectures and other presen­ta­tions; cred­i­ble research activity.

A minimum of 2 years of expe­ri­ence teach­ing at the college level with respon­si­bil­ity for author­ing syllabi and course design.

Profi­ciency with design processes, includ­ing: research, drawing, model-making, proto­typ­ing, and digital design methods.

Broad knowl­edge, skills, and expe­ri­ence in indus­trial and craft-based production techniques.

A collab­o­ra­tive approach driven by proac­tive partic­i­pa­tion and a shared commit­ment to institutional excellence.

Strong spoken and written communication skills.

Demon­strated commit­ment to foster­ing equi­table learn­ing envi­ron­ments where a diverse student body can thrive, using inclu­sive, cultur­ally respon­sive, and acces­si­ble peda­go­gies to support crit­i­cal engage­ment with art and design.

Preferred Qual­i­fi­ca­tions

A termi­nal degree in Furni­ture Design or related field.

5 years expe­ri­ence in teach­ing or profes­sional prac­tice with demon­strated leadership skills.

Active partic­i­pa­tion in contem­po­rary cultures of design, craft, and/​or art, and a network of profes­sional connec­tions within and beyond these disciplines.

Evidence of involve­ment in co-curric­u­lar program devel­op­ment includ­ing but not limited to: partner and spon­sored studios, collab­o­ra­tive teach­ing and/​or orga­niz­ing off campus exhibitions

Accom­plish­ments in writing and/​or schol­arly work related to design crit­i­cism, design history, mate­r­ial culture, etc.

Exper­tise with CAD and digital fabrication.

RISD is a nonprofit college and museum of art and design founded in 1877 in the city of Prov­i­dence, RI. Today 2,606 students from 62 coun­tries engage in more than 40 full-time bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, supported by a commit­ted faculty and world­wide network of more than 33,000 alumni.

By culti­vat­ing expan­sive and elastic think­ing, RISD equips artists, design­ers and schol­ars to gener­ate and chal­lenge the ideas that shape our world.

RISD has a crit­i­cal review process, which is very similar to the tenure process at other insti­tu­tions. RISD supports faculty profes­sional prac­tice with sabbat­i­cals, pre-crit­i­cal review leave, confer­ence funds, and profes­sional devel­op­ment grants. For more infor­ma­tion about RISD, please visit www​.risd​.edu.

RISD’s Depart­ment of Furni­ture Design was created to educate the next gener­a­tion of furni­ture design­ers and to elevate prac­tice, schol­ar­ship and research in the disci­pline. With a robust curricu­lum, exten­sive studio facil­i­ties, and dedi­cated faculty and staff, students create work in a dynamic envi­ron­ment support­ive of exper­i­men­ta­tion and personal growth. The depart­ment is commit­ted to evolv­ing furni­ture design with an approach that is broad-based, incor­po­rat­ing the most rele­vant aspects of design, art, and craft. Our curricu­lum explores contex­tual issues, inves­ti­gates new chal­lenges of human inter­face in contem­po­rary envi­ron­ments, inte­grates new tech­nolo­gies and addresses the complex­i­ties of our times. The depart­ment holds an expan­sive view of furni­ture, inclu­sive of a diverse range of typolo­gies, mate­ri­als, contexts, and approaches.

Our programs provide mean­ing­ful oppor­tu­ni­ties for students to express their indi­vid­ual perspec­tives through well made objects that enhance the expe­ri­ences of people who use them. Students develop their concep­tual and tech­ni­cal abil­i­ties by design­ing and build­ing with genuine mate­ri­als and at full scale. Through our sequenced curricu­lum, students inves­ti­gate emerg­ing chal­lenges presented by new tech­nolo­gies, mate­ri­als, economic and ecologic condi­tions, and changes in soci­etal patterns. With an ambi­tion to inte­grate think­ing and making, knowl­edge and theory are empha­sized equally with skills and prac­tice. Our depart­ment is not mate­r­ial-specific or limited in tech­nique or context, but instead fore­grounds the inter­ests, inspi­ra­tions, and curiosi­ties of indi­vid­ual students. With approx­i­mately 90 students (80% under­grad­u­ate, 20% grad­u­ate), 24 faculty members (2 full time, 21 adjunct), and 4 support staff (3 tech­ni­cians, 1 acad­e­mic coor­di­na­tor) the depart­ment features a close-knit commu­nity of indi­vid­u­als who share a passion for learn­ing, art and design, and the expres­sive poten­tial of objects.

Please see all infor­ma­tion and apply directly at https://​careers​.risd​.edu/​posti….