Assistant Professor in Metals Iowa State University

Assis­tant Profes­sor in Metals

Appoint­ment Type: Faculty

Job Descrip­tion:

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities:

The Depart­ment of Art and Visual Culture in the College of Design at Iowa State Univer­sity is offer­ing a full-time tenure-track posi­tion at the rank of Assis­tant Profes­sor in Metals start­ing August 2026.

Qual­i­fied candi­dates will bring an in-depth knowl­edge in metal craft, art, design, and related mate­ri­als and prac­tices. Areas of exper­tise will include contem­po­rary and tradi­tional tech­niques embrac­ing sculp­tural and func­tional approaches to making. Special atten­tion will be given to candi­dates who bring an inno­v­a­tive approach to metal­smithing and/​or jewelry making, along with a crit­i­cal knowl­edge of related mate­ri­als to their teach­ing and creative work. Candi­dates with ethical and envi­ron­men­tally respon­si­ble approaches to their disci­pline and teach­ing are strongly encour­aged to apply. The success­ful candi­date will have oppor­tu­ni­ties to contribute to teach­ing in the depart­ment of Art and Visual Culture and the inter­dis­ci­pli­nary colle­giate programs in the College of Design. The posi­tion includes working with students from a broad range of disci­pli­nary back­grounds and abil­i­ties. Peda­gog­i­cally adap­tive and inno­v­a­tive approaches in teach­ing are expected. The posi­tion respon­si­bil­i­ties also include schol­ar­ship and research in the area of the candidate’s exper­tise; student advis­ing; service on depart­ment, college and univer­sity commit­tees; and main­te­nance of the metals studio and related equipment.

The Depart­ment of Art and Visual Culture is commit­ted to sustain­ing a colle­gial, posi­tive, and produc­tive envi­ron­ment for each indi­vid­ual and the collec­tive benefit of all. All faculty members are expected to exhibit and convey good citi­zen­ship within depart­ment, college, and univer­sity activ­i­ties, inter­act colle­gially and main­tain the highest stan­dards of integrity and ethical behavior.

About the Art and Visual Culture Department

As a land grant and Research I insti­tu­tion, Iowa State Univer­sity upholds and advo­cates for the impact of creative activ­i­ties, schol­ar­ship, and educa­tion both on-and off-campus. We embrace and value commu­nity and the people and knowl­edge that preceded the forma­tion of our insti­tu­tion and that inform our current-day prac­tices. The College of Design cele­brates and builds on long-stand­ing success as a compre­hen­sive design school that embod­ies knowl­edge-sharing and innovation.

The Depart­ment of Art and Visual Culture exem­pli­fies these qual­i­ties through the creativ­ity and entre­pre­neur­ship of its commu­nity of makers, educa­tors, and schol­ars. With an inte­grated and cross-disci­pli­nary approach to teach­ing and collab­o­rat­ing, we are commit­ted to contribut­ing to the excel­lence of the acad­e­mic commu­nity and to build­ing a cultur­ally vibrant envi­ron­ment. We are espe­cially seeking candi­dates who uphold and promote this purpose and who apply the above qual­i­ties in their teach­ing and research practice.

Depart­ment Website:www​.design​.iastate​.edu/​a​c​ademi…

Required Qual­i­fi­ca­tions:

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree

OR

Bach­e­lor of Fine Arts (BFA) and a master’s degree in a relevant field

Preferred Qual­i­fi­ca­tions:

Port­fo­lio with evidence of crit­i­cal approaches to metal-based art and craft

Demon­strated evidence of professional accomplishment

Knowl­edge of contem­po­rary and tradi­tional prac­tices in metals and related art and design disciplines

Expe­ri­ence in ethical and envi­ron­men­tally respon­si­ble art and design practices

Expe­ri­ence main­tain­ing a metals studio and related equipment

Evidence of success­ful college-level teach­ing expe­ri­ence beyond graduate assistantship

Proposed Start Date: August 16, 2026

Number of Months Employed Per Year: 09 Month Work Period

Time Type: Full time

Appli­ca­tion Instructions:

To apply for this posi­tion, please click on ​“Apply” and complete the Employ­ment Appli­ca­tion here https://isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.…

Please be prepared to enter or attach the follow­ing as pdf files of no more than 5MB each:

Letter of Application

Curricu­lum Vitae with contact infor­ma­tion for three professional references

Research and Creative Activities Statement

Teach­ing Philosophy Statement

Two sample course syllabi

And the follow­ing port­fo­lios should be uploaded to https://​go​.iastate​.edu/​O​6B4BL

Port­fo­lio of Creative Work: 20 page pdf port­fo­lio of creative work includ­ing title, date, media.

Teach­ing Port­fo­lio: 20 page pdf port­fo­lio of work by your students includ­ing student name, title, date, media and course.

For full consid­er­a­tion, please apply by Septem­ber 15, 2025.

Sarah Kyle, Profes­sor and Chair, AVC, 146 College of Design, Iowa State Univer­sity, Ames, IA 50011 – 3093.

If you have ques­tions regard­ing this vacancy, please email Sarah Kyle, skyle@​iastate.​edu or call 515 – 294-9985. If you have ques­tions regard­ing this appli­ca­tion process, please email employment@​iastate.​edu or call 515 – 294-4800 or Toll Free: 1 – 877-477‑7485.

Why Choose ISU?

Iowa State Faculty enjoy compre­hen­sive health and work-life bene­fits, includ­ing medical and dental; as well as:

Retire­ment bene­fits, includ­ing defined benefit and defined contribution plans

Gener­ous leave plans

Onsite child­care (Ames, Iowa)

Life insur­ance and long-term disability

Flex­i­ble Spending Accounts

Various volun­tary bene­fits and discounts

Employee Assis­tance Program

Well­be­ing program

Job Requi­si­tion Number: R17039

About Us

By focus­ing on the future and provid­ing the best student expe­ri­ence possi­ble, Iowa State attracts students and faculty who want to make a differ­ence. With a compre­hen­sive land-grant mission of educa­tion, research, exten­sion and outreach, we produce schol­ars whose ideas change the world. And through Inno­vate at Iowa State, we provide inno­v­a­tive and entre­pre­neur­ial oppor­tu­ni­ties for students of all back­grounds. Located just 30 minutes north of Des Moines, the city of Ames was recently named one of the Top 10 cities in the U.S. for campus life and career opportunities.

Iowa State Univer­sity is a welcom­ing commu­nity of students, faculty, and staff. Campus commu­nity members have a wide range of back­grounds and expe­ri­ences and are commit­ted to engag­ing with each other respect­fully as outlined in the univer­si­ty’s Prin­ci­ples of Commu­nity. Iowa State recog­nizes that diverse intel­lec­tual and philo­soph­i­cal perspec­tives are vital to inno­va­tion, crit­i­cal think­ing skills, and a dynamic acad­e­mic commu­nity that fosters the land-grant ideals of putting science, tech­nol­ogy, and human creativ­ity to work.

All offers of employ­ment, oral and written, are contin­gent upon the university’s veri­fi­ca­tion of creden­tials and other infor­ma­tion required by federal and state law, ISU policies/​procedures, and may include the comple­tion of a back­ground check and/​or a consumer credit check.

Iowa State Univer­sity is an Equal Opportunity/​Affirmative Action employer. All qual­i­fied appli­cants will receive consid­er­a­tion for employ­ment without regard to race, color, age, reli­gion, sex, sexual orien­ta­tion, gender iden­tity, genetic infor­ma­tion, national origin, marital status, disabil­ity, or protected veteran status and will not be discrim­i­nated against. Inquiries can be directed to the Office of Equal Oppor­tu­nity, 2680 Beard­s­hear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, 515 294‑7612, email eooffice@​iastate.​edu