All Things Urban

The Harvard Graduate School of Design is dedicated to the education and development of professionals in architecture, landscape, urban planning, urban design, and other design-related disciplines. GSD is uniquely positioned to provide leadership for shaping the built environment of the 21st century.

A faculty position for a distinguished scholar and/or practitioner (at the full professor level), or a candidate with superior attainment or strong promise (at the associate or assistant professor levels) is available in the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD). We are particularly interested in candidates who are committed to innovative thinking about topics that relate to contemporary issues on urbanization and the design of the city, and who are willing to engage in constructive dialogue not just with urban planners but also with colleagues in all disciplines at the GSD, as well as across the university.

The successful candidate will be expected to engage in conceptualizing and developing cross-disciplinary research and academic initiatives that bear on the possibilities for reshaping contemporary urban environments, and be able to make innovative contributions to the current debates on Urbanism. In addition to the standard expectation that candidates will show demonstrated excellence in the application of design skills to the city and the built environment, we seek applicants with a capacity to promote and reflect upon some of the most pressing socio-spatial challenges of our times (sustainable mobility, climate change and the environmental impacts of urbanization, transformations in the nature of work, increasing economic and social inequality, hybridity of uses in the city, etc.). In addition, we seek individuals willing to push the methodological boundaries of the discipline through such applications as digital design platforms, parametric design, emerging smart technologies, use of narratives or other unorthodox modes of representation, and so on. Finally, we will prioritize candidates whose epistemic repertoire includes a sensitivity to urban history, to the peculiarities of place, and to the social implications of design practice, as well as those who show a willingness to use their design research to explore new connections with the fields of planning, landscape architecture, social science and architecture.

Candidates should have significant experience in integrating studio or classroom teaching with applied research, and hold an advanced degree in urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, and/or other fields concerned with cities and urbanization. While all candidates with significant scholarly or professional achievement in a broad range of fields related to cities and urbanization will be considered, a background of commitment to the design of exemplary physical environments should be demonstrated through research and/or practice, and peer review.

The appointment is expected to be a full-time position at the level of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor. We will also consider positions for part-time positions at all ranks (assistant, associate, or professor in practice). Part-time positions are normally half-time and require the maintenance of an active outside practice or research activities. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. The GSD is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion within its community and especially welcomes applications from candidates with experience teaching and working with diverse students.

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