Design Justice

The Faculty Cluster Hire


Several openings in various programs across multiple years, centered in Design Justice: Architecture, Apparel, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Product Design.

About the Design Justice Cluster-Hire Initiative

Design Justice is a new initiative within the College of Design, seeking to create space, policy, and practices that support the inclusion and retention of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) as well as other communities who have been historically underinvested. Design Justice is supported by a group of individuals across design disciplines, known as the Collective, who are committed to anti-racism, decolonized pedagogy, and the liberation of communities who have been underinvested historically, in both design academia and the design industry. Areas of scholarship, teaching, and/or service will involve: anti-racism, racial justice, racial disparities, and/or racial discrimination; equity, power/privilege, and/or bias; benefits to the BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee populations; environmental and social justice; and/or other forms of studying and countering systemic oppression.

Successful candidates for all positions will have the clear potential, demonstrated ability, and/or related scholarship to support our BIPOC and other marginalized communities within their respective discipline. We are looking to expand the Design Justice Collective with a cluster hire of several faculty, in various programs across two years: (Please click the linked text below to see a detailed job description for each program.)

Assistant Professor in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design History: Job ID 365109

Assistant Professor in Apparel Design, Job ID: 365065

Position Details

We are seeking tenurable or tenure-track candidates who are committed to advancing a scholarly, pedagogic, and/or service agenda focused on an area of design justice, as described above. Successful candidates will teach a range of undergraduate and graduate courses specific to the needs of their program area. 

These are 100%-time academic year (9-month), tenured or tenure-track faculty positions. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience, and will be supplemented by a generous start-up package to support advancement of scholarship and teaching that aligns with the tenure standards of the specific program. Start-up packages typically include course release/s, graduate student assistant/s, and/or other means determined through dialogue with the department head. Applicants should be prepared to serve as a member of the Design Justice Collective for their first two years. Priority application due date is November 15; however, applications will be reviewed until each position is filled. Anticipated start date is August 2025. Regardless of the start date, selected candidates will receive the cluster experience. 

About the College of Design

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Dakota People, ceded in the Treaties of 1837 and 1851. We are committed to recognizing the complex history of this land by honoring the truth of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together now. We acknowledge the need to end the violence against missing and murdered Indigenous women– a local and national epidemic that can be traced back to the arrival of European colonizers across Turtle Island. We acknowledge and fight against the legacy of white supremacy and culture of anti-Black racism in our own community, which has led to the murders of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, George Floyd, Daunte Wright, Winston Smith, and countless other Black Americans across this nation. Black lives matter. We stand with our Hmong, Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities against the rise of xenophobic violence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize that words are not enough and we remain committed to the work of eradicating the injustices against all Black, Indigenous, and people of color caused by systemic racism.

Formed in 2006, the University of Minnesota’s College of Design encompasses a full range of design disciplines, including eight undergraduate degrees, 24 graduate and professional degree options, and nine centers for research, creative scholarship, and engagement. Through rigorous commitments to creativity, equity, and advancing technologies, College of Design educational programs and innovations address emerging issues, identify problems, frame creative approaches, and generate solutions across all scales of human experience. We offer rich opportunities for interdisciplinary research and public engagement, through highly-regarded research and engagement centers, including the Center for Retail Design and Innovation (CRDI), Wearable Product Design, Digital Design Center (DDC), Minnesota Design Center (MDC), Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), and the Goldstein Museum of Design.  For more information about the college, please visit our website at design.umn.edu.

We are located in the Twin Cities, known as a major design hub and home to design-oriented Fortune 500 companies such as Target, 3M, General Mills, Best Buy, and Medtronic, several international and national award-winning architecture practices, thriving local businesses, and a strong non-profit sector. Our students have a wide range of internship opportunities, our graduates enjoy high employment rates, and our alumni are highly engaged with current students and faculty. We take pride in Minnesota’s designations as a Research 1 and Community-Engaged University, which provide foundations for many of our award-winning projects. 

Charge of the Design Justice Cluster

Members of the Design Justice Cluster will conduct teaching, research/scholarship/creative work, and/or service centered around the aforementioned areas of design justice; contribute to the cultivation of policies and practices that exemplify the college’s commitment to the mission of the Design Justice Collective; and serve as a member of the Design Justice Collective for the first two years of their appointment. Members of the Cluster will participate in monthly meetings to engage in discussions and/or practices that support our mission and find support for projects you want to pursue, in order to combat racism and/or other forms of oppression. Cluster members will collaborate to develop and refine their undergraduate and graduate curricula and teach undergraduate and graduate studio, lecture, and/or seminar courses as defined by program requirements and needs. Cluster members will also advise/mentor undergraduate and graduate students, contribute to recruitment and retention strategies of students who have been historically underinvested, participate in faculty governance, and contribute to and support the mission of the University of Minnesota, a public research institution. 

To Apply

Explore the following links for more specific descriptions based on your discipline. 

Assistant Professor in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design History: Job ID 365109

Assistant Professor in Apparel Design, Job ID: 365065

The University of Minnesota recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds. The University provides equitable access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U, see diversity.umn.edu. To request an accommodation during the application process, please email [email protected] or call (612) 624-UOHR (8647).

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.