Assistant Professor, Information Design Department of Design, Faculty of Fine Arts and Communic - Vancouver - MacEwan University

Description

Department of Design, Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications

Competition No

Category

Closing Date

Full‑Time Tenure‑Track Comm­mensurate with qualifications and experience. New hires will normally be placed within the first 8 steps of the Assistant Professor salary table. A review of applications will begin January 10, 2025, and continue until a suitable candidate is found.

About Us

MacEwan University is where caring faculty help people connect their passions to their future paths. Located in the heart of Edmonton's diverse and dynamic downtown community, and on the traditional lands of Treaty 6 First Nations and homelands of the Métis people, MacEwan is known for exceptional undergraduate learning. With its dedication to teaching excellence, informed by scholarly research, innovation, and creative activity, MacEwan provides an exceptional collaborative and supportive learning environment with a commitment to human rights, environmental sustainability, and opportunities for community engagement. We are committed to creating an equitable, diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community for all peoples, cultures, and identities. Our comprehensive undergraduate university offers 55 programs to more than 20,000 full‑ and part‑time students in business, communications, community and human services, design, fine and performing arts, health, humanities, natural science, nursing, public safety, and social science. Through a wide array of experiential learning opportunities, and strategic relationships in the community, we partner with others to produce graduates of stature. Along with a robust grounding in their chosen disciplines, MacEwan students are given durable life skills that prepare them to take on the world.

The Department of Design in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications invites applications for an entry‑level, full‑time, tenure‑track appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, commencing July 1, 2026, subject to final budgetary approval.

The Department of Design has been graduating well‑respected designers for 50 years. We are the largest Bachelor of Design program in Alberta, with more than 380 students, 45 faculty, and 55 unique design courses and the only user experience design major between Vancouver and Toronto. This degree is unique in Canada, envisioning design as not just an applied art but also an applied social science. This human‑centered approach will allow students to better understand the audience/users they are designing for, and to more effectively evaluate their design outcomes. The degree currently has six main pathways – Visual Communication Design; Digital Experience Design; Marketing; Photography; Illustration; Video; Visual Effects and Motion Graphics.

The Department of Design at MacEwan University prepares students to become the creative design leaders of tomorrow. Students are immersed in the knowledge, processes, methods and skills of the discipline: the ability to research and identify problems and provide communication solutions within a given commercial, social and environmental context; use tools of the field to give form to their concepts while recognizing the cultural significance and meaning of them; communicate and defend solutions to team members and stakeholders; organize and manage design projects and client relations.

Responsibilities:

• Provide learning activities that stimulate student involvement and encourage critical thinking and discussion.
• Provide concrete, constructive, respectful and actionable feedback to students.
• Provide students with ways to connect information design skills and concepts to the wider visual communication design practice.
• Maintain competencies in the subject area and currency in instructional methodologies through professional associations and professional development.
• Maintain an active research and/or creative practice.
• Participate in curriculum development and implementation and provide pedagogical leadership in your area of expertise.
• In consultation with the Department of Design, create and maintain a pedagogical vision for information design courses in the Department.
• Serve on university‑wide, faculty, and departmental committees as needed.
• Foster interdisciplinary approaches and establish ties with other departments including but not limited to: Studio Arts, Communications Studies, Computing Science, Mathematics & Statistics.

Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in Design or a related field. Candidates should demonstrate a primary commitment to undergraduate teaching and an ongoing research program.
• Have teaching experience at the post‑secondary level and industry experience.
• The ability to teach a variety of design subjects at multiple levels in the curriculum, from introductory to senior studio courses.
• Preference will be given to candidates with expertise or industry experience in interactive data visualization.
• The candidate must demonstrate excellence or a clear promise of excellence in research which includes one or a combination of: creative practice; publishing or other disciplinary modes of knowledge mobilization; institutional, cross‑institutional, and/or community collaborations.

Application Process:

• Submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching dossier (including recent teaching evaluations).
• Provide official transcripts sent directly from the institutions where you completed your degrees.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted to provide three letters of reference sent directly from referees.

Questions about this opportunity may be addressed to Robert Andruchow, Chair of the Department of Design via email at

This position is included under the Faculty Association collective agreement.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

MacEwan University is committed to fostering the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion within our community, and we are dedicated to removing barriers that have been historically encountered and are currently experienced by some members of our society. We welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, and members of all equity‑deserving groups. We believe that the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty serves as a strength of our institution and benefit to society. We are committed to ensuring full and inclusive participation for all in our community.

Accessibility Statement

We strive to provide an inclusive and barrier‑free work environment, beginning with the hiring process. If you require accommodation, we want to ensure you have the support you need to showcase your abilities. Please contact and we will support you to the best of our ability.

Personal Information Collection Notification
The personal information collected through MacEwan University's application for employment is used to determine your qualifications for employment. If your application progresses to the next stage of the hiring process, this information may be shared with non‑HR members of the hiring committee and interview panel. This collection is authorized by section 4(c) of the Protection of Privacy Act. For questions about the collection of personal information, contact Human Resources at or phone ‑5434.