Assistant Professor of Urban Design and Planning
Position Overview
Organization: School of Urban Studies
Title: Assistant Professor of Urban Design and Planning
Position Details
Position Description
Position Overview
The University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) invites applications for a tenure-track, Assistant Professor of Urban Design and Planning in the School of Urban Studies (SUS). This is a full-time (100% FTE) position with a 9-month service period and an expected start date of September 16, 2025. The initial appointment will be for a three-year term, eligible for reappointment after successful academic review.
The School of Urban Studies has an open position in urban design or related field. This position will be expected to engage in research that focuses on advancing spatial justice, broadly understood. This position will be expected to engage in scholarly areas such as, but not limited to: Indigenous planning, sovereignty planning, climate justice, transportation equity, or otherwise use frameworks such as anti-racism, abolition, intersectionality, or anti-colonial perspectives to understand urban environments.
Responsibilities
All faculty at the UW engage in teaching, scholarship, and service within their school, the University, and their professional community. UW Tacoma and the School of Urban Studies are committed to hiring and supporting faculty who will enhance diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity in higher education through their teaching, scholarship, and service activities.
The successful candidate will be expected to perform highly effective and inclusive teaching, using a variety of pedagogical techniques and technologies, in an urban-serving campus environment. Faculty at UWT are expected to teach in multiple modalities, including in-person, online, and hybrid courses. Faculty at UWT are also expected to successfully mentor undergraduate and graduate students in an academic setting with diverse experiences and backgrounds.
The Assistant Professor of Urban Design and Planning will be expected to teach undergraduate urban design studios. They will also teach introductory GIS courses, and/or to contribute broadly to the School of Urban Studies curriculum. The expected teaching load for this position is the equivalent of six (6) undergraduate courses per academic year.
Positive factors for consideration include, but are not limited to individuals with interest and/or experience in one or more of the following areas: fostering co-learning and collaborative environments; community-engaged teaching, scholarship, and service; connecting theoretical work and action-oriented practice; and developing and/or delivering innovative classes in an urban studies curriculum. The successful candidate will be expected to bring critical perspectives on the experiences of underrepresented groups in U.S. to their academic work.
Compensation
The base salary range for this position is $9,444 to $9,723 per month ($84,996 to $87,507 per 9-month academic year), commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination. Other compensation associated with this position may include a one-time relocation allowance, if applicable, and professional/research funds. A summary of benefits associate with this title/rank can be found at https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/benefits-orientation/benefit-summary-pdfs/.
Qualifications
An earned Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in Urban Design or closely related field, and demonstrated effectiveness in teaching and research/scholarship in the candidate’s area of expertise are required.
In exceptional circumstances, candidates in the final stages of their terminal degree (pending conferral) may be selected and appointed on an acting basis.
About UW Tacoma
The University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) is an urban-serving institution committed to providing a community-engaged education to a diverse student body. The UWT campus is located on the ancestral lands of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians within the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. Established in 1990, our thriving downtown campus serves students of a wide range of ages and backgrounds; including an overall undergraduate population consisting over more than 50% first-generation college students.
The University of Washington Tacoma is one of three campuses of the University of Washington, providing faculty with access to the resources of a major, state-flagship research university while working and teaching within a small campus setting. The University of Washington is among the 119 institutions of higher education in the U.S. to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation denoting institutional commitment to community engagement. UWT is a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) and a federally funded Asian American Native American Pacific Islander- Serving Institution (AANAPISI). In particular, the Tacoma campus is renowned for its community-engaged activities, wherein many of its faculty, students, and staff are taking an active role in transforming the city and region into a thriving and just collective of communities.
The faculty of the School of Urban Studies believes that community-engaged learning is essential for fostering co-learning environments where knowledge is collaboratively created and applied to address real-world challenges. We value learning spaces which emphasize reciprocity and cultural humility, while cultivating empathy, critical thinking skills, and a commitment to social justice. For information about community partnership opportunities, visit https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/community-partnerships.
Faculty at UWT have access to the resources of a major research university while working and teaching within a small campus setting. UWT consists of approximately 5,000 students, across seven schools, and offers a variety of professional and academic degrees and certifications. UWT’s commitment to equity and inclusion is central to maintaining an atmosphere wherein students, staff, faculty, and community members find abundant opportunities for intellectual, personal, and professional growth.
Consistent with UWT’s urban-serving mission, our campus provides a unique environment for faculty to creatively develop their teaching, scholarship, and service portfolios, and to engage with the Tacoma community. UWT’s commitment to diversity and belonging is central to this mission, and to creating an atmosphere where students, staff, faculty, and community members find abundant opportunities for intellectual, personal, and professional growth. For more information about UW Tacoma, visit www.tacoma.uw.edu.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The University of Washington Tacoma and the School of Urban Studies are dedicated to hiring and supporting faculty who will enhance diversity, social equity, and inclusion in higher education through their teaching, scholarship, and service. Creative scholarship agendas linking knowledge, community service, and professional practice are supported and encouraged. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and areas of practice to apply.
Application Instructions
To apply, please submit the following, via Interfolio:
- A cover letter, providing an overview of your academic interests, qualifications, and relevant teaching and/or research experience. (two-page maximum)
- A curriculum vitae, including a list of courses taught, their frequency, and your role in each course (e.g., primary instructor vs. teaching assistant)
- A diversity statement, describing your commitment to diversity, social equity, and inclusion, and how you have demonstrated or plan to demonstrate this in your teaching, scholarship, and service. Please describe how your work will further UWT’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (two-page maximum)
- A research statement, including an assessment of the impact of your research, a concise description of planned research areas, and plans for seeking additional support and/or funding. Please include how you will involve and support the success of UWT students in your research and/or research area. (two-page maximum)
- A teaching statement, describing your teaching philosophy and including methods you use (or intend to use) and high-impact teaching practices that you use (or intend to use). (two-page maximum)
- Evidence of teaching effectiveness. This might include: sample syllabi, quantitative and/or qualitative student evaluations, samples of student work, and/or peer teaching evaluations.
- Work Portfolio. This might include design-based work samples (3-5 projects).
- Names and contact information for three professional references, with letters available upon request.
All application materials must be submitted through Interfolio (https://www.interfolio.com/). [SKDB1] Application materials received via mail or email will not be considered. Screening of applications will begin on November 7 and will continue until the position is filled. For further information or specific inquiries, please contact Anaid Yerena, search committee Chair, at yerena@uw.edu.
The following is automatically included in all Interfolio postings: --------------------------------------------------
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.
Benefits Information
A summary of benefits associated with this title/rank can be found at https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/benefits-orientation/benefit-summary-pdfs/. Appointees solely employed and paid directly by a non-UW entity are not UW employees and are not eligible for UW or Washington State employee benefits.
Commitment to Diversity
The University of Washington is committed to building diversity among its faculty, librarian, staff, and student communities, and articulates that commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint (http://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/). Additionally, the University’s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member’s academic profile and responsibilities (https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/FCG/FCCH24.html#2432).
Privacy Notice
Review the University of Washington Privacy Notice for Demographic Data of Job Applicants and University Personnel to learn how your demographic data are protected, when the data may be used, and your rights.
Disability Services
To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.
[SKDB1]Replace with position-specific link when posting to interfolio.
Qualifications
Instructions
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.
Benefits Information
A summary of benefits associated with this title/rank can be found at https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/benefits-orientation/benefit-summary-pdfs/. Appointees solely employed and paid directly by a non-UW entity are not UW employees and are not eligible for UW or Washington State employee benefits.
Commitment to Diversity
The University of Washington is committed to building diversity among its faculty, librarian, staff, and student communities, and articulates that commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint (http://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/). Additionally, the University’s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member’s academic profile and responsibilities (https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/FCG/FCCH24.html#2432).
Privacy Notice
Review the University of Washington Privacy Notice for Demographic Data of Job Applicants and University Personnel to learn how your demographic data are protected, when the data may be used, and your rights.
Disability Services
To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.