Associate or Full Professor in Interior Design

Terminal degree in Interior Design or a closely related field

N/A

The College of Design at the University of Kentucky invites applications and nominations for the position of Director of the School of Interiors.

The Director will lead the next phase of the school’s development, working closely with faculty to articulate and advance a clear and compelling vision for the future of interior design education, one that builds on the school’s strengths in material exploration, interdisciplinary design, and human-centered inquiry while expanding its research impact, global reach, and national visibility. We are seeking an outward-facing, service-oriented leader who listens, advocates, and positions the school within evolving conversations across design, higher education, and the profession.

The Director will enter at a moment when the school is well-positioned for new opportunities. We are in a new building, have made significant faculty hires in recent years, will have completed reaccreditation in spring 2027, and have a curriculum transformation underway. The school is in an energetic and malleable phase with significant opportunity to shape its trajectory.

The Director of the School of Interiors is a full-time faculty position with administrative responsibilities. Administration is anticipated to be 45% of the Director’s distribution of effort, with the remaining 55% allocated to teaching and research. Reporting to the Dean of the College of Design, the Director is responsible for the overall academic, administrative, and fiscal leadership of the School. They will provide leadership in defining the program’s strategic priorities and vision and in enhancing its visibility, brand, and reputation.

In this role, the Director will be responsible for continuing to advance and strengthen curricular offerings; fostering excellence in teaching, research, and engagement; strategically managing the program’s enrollment; overseeing the hiring of new full-time and part-time faculty; supporting the career advancement of faculty members; advancing innovation and multidisciplinary activities; and working collaboratively with College leadership and departmental faculty to effectively manage program resources. The Director should promote a work and learning environment that fosters entrepreneurship, growth, collaboration, and shared governance.

The position will commence on July 1, 2027. This is a 12-month appointment at the rank of associate or full professor with tenure. The term of the administrative appointment is four years and is renewable for an additional four years. Salary is competitive and based on qualifications and experience.

A complete application must include and will be evaluated based on the following materials:

Applications only accepted via https://ukjobs.uky.edu/.

Review of applications will begin on September 30, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled.

The ideal candidate will be an outward-facing, strategic leader who works closely with faculty to articulate and advance a shared vision for the school. They will be a strong listener, a clear communicator, and an advocate for the program.

They will be able to build consensus, set direction, and make decisions that move the school forward. This includes strengthening its intellectual contributions, expanding its reach, and positioning it within evolving conversations in design, culture, and the built environment.

An effective Director will support people while also challenging the program to grow. They will recognize the School’s current momentum and guide it through this next phase with clarity, focus, and purpose.

Key Responsibilities and Leadership Priorities:

External Engagement and Visibility
• Serve as the public face of the School and position it within national and international design conversations
• Expand partnerships with industry, alumni, peer institutions, and community organizations
• Grow the School’s global footprint through study abroad and international research initiatives
• Build upon and activate an Advisory Board and contribute to philanthropic efforts
• Elevate the visibility of faculty research and creative work through strategic communication and outreach

Student Experience and Outcomes
• Champion a rigorous, engaging, and supportive student experience
• Encourage intellectual risk-taking and critical engagement in student work
• Strengthen connections to professional practice, graduate education, and interdisciplinary opportunities
• Support pathways that connect undergraduate and graduate research and learning

Faculty Leadership and Development
• Build alignment across School faculty while supporting individual trajectories
• Oversee review, promotion, and mentoring processes
• Support and elevate faculty research, creative activity, and external recognition
• Build upon a culture of shared governance, collaboration, and mutual accountability

Academic and Intellectual Leadership
• Lead the intellectual and pedagogical direction of the school
• Support a cohesive curricular vision aligned with the school’s mission and future trajectory
• Advance a culture of critical inquiry, experimentation, and design rigor
• Guide curriculum development, assessment, and accreditation
• Strengthen the integration of research across studios, seminars, and graduate work

Operations and Program Management
• Oversee budgets, staffing, and day-to-day operations
• Develop course schedules and faculty teaching assignments
• Align resources with strategic priorities
• Collaborate with College leadership on hiring, planning, and resource allocation

About the School of Interiors

The School of Interiors is a nationally respected program known for its strong and multidisciplinary faculty-led research program, collaborative culture, and commitment to design as a human-centered and materially grounded practice.

The school emphasizes areas of inquiry such as material experimentation, soft making, and interdisciplinary methodologies, supported by fabrication facilities and an expanding research environment. Faculty are engaged in creative practice, scholarship, and community-based work that contributes to both local impact and broader disciplinary conversations.

The program is distinguished by its graduate offerings, which position it among a limited number of interior design programs with advanced research pathways. This creates opportunities to further define areas of distinction and deepen research contributions.

The school is actively evolving. It is expanding its global footprint through study abroad and international research, strengthening connections to industry and professional practice, and building new partnerships that extend its reach. A key priority for the Director will be to expand and engage an Advisory Board and support philanthropic development.

This is a moment of transition and opportunity. With new faculty, new facilities, and a curriculum revision underway, the school is entering a new era that invites strategic leadership, alignment, and growth.

The College of Design is a dynamic, transdisciplinary environment that supports innovation across architecture, interiors, historic preservation, and product design. Housed in a new facility within a growing arts district, the College fosters collaboration, experimentation, and outward-facing work.

The College is actively engaged in shaping a forward-looking vision for design education and research. Faculty and leadership are invested in building new models of practice that connect design to pressing environmental, social, and cultural issues. The Director of the School of Interiors will play a central role in this visioning process.

We value design as a human-centered, inherently optimistic activity and embrace the unique strengths of our disciplines while collaborating in a transdisciplinary environment. Our programs balance theoretical foundations, conceptual design thinking, technical understanding, and the act of making as crucial elements of an iterative process leading to impactful design. Learning, teaching, and research in the College of Design explore the interconnected relationships between human experience, built and natural environments, and designed objects and systems. Our areas of research specialization include history, theory, and criticism; digital fabrication and simulation; materials innovation; community resiliency; sustainability and preservation; and design for health and well-being.

The College of Design’s home, the Gray Design Building, is 100,000 square feet of open studio space, state-of-the-art fabrication lab facilities, classrooms, offices, and event spaces — a place where students of architecture, interiors, historic preservation, product design, and landscape architecture — can all learn and work together in a modern, cross-disciplinary environment. Built in 1917, the former tobacco warehouse has been transformed into an open, dynamic space that encourages interaction and collaboration between students and faculty of various disciplines. The Gray Design Building was more than a renovation project — it serves as a prime example of adaptive reuse and sustainable building practices, effective collaboration between global and local design teams, and symbolizes a bridge between the building’s industrial past and its innovative future as a hub for design education. This transformative renovation was completed in 2024, and the College moved into its new home that spring.

• National or international recognition in design research or practice
• Experience leading program development or curricular transformation
• Record of externally funded research or sustained professional engagement
• Experience building strategic partnerships across academic, industry, or community contexts
• Ability to elevate program visibility and reputation

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.