Assistant Professor; Tectonics

Equal Opportunity Employer / Veterans / Disabled

• Proposed
  
  Start Date:
  
  09/16/2026
• Rank: C - Assistant Professor
• Working Title:
  
  Assistant Professor (Tectonics)
• Position Number: D91286
• Representation: AU - AAUP
• Faculty Type:
  Tenure Track
• Position FTE: 1.0
• Term of Service: 9 month

The School of Architecture at PSU has a rich, materially based curriculum, which challenges students to address the poetics of material, urban issues and cultural meaning, community engagement and social needs through architecture and design.

With an established reputation for promoting a materially diverse, urban-oriented, socially engaged architectural education, including a pre-professional undergraduate degree in Architecture, a professional accredited Master of Architecture, the Center for Public Interest Design, and strong ties to local design practice, we offer a rigorous educational experience in the ideal setting of downtown Portland.

Portland State University School of Architecture wishes to hire a full-time tenure‑track Assistant Professor to teach structures with building technology and architectural design studio. Candidates will be expected to embrace the culture of making at the heart of our pedagogy through creative teaching strategies, critical perspectives and innovative practices. The appointment includes advising and mentoring congruent with creative and engaged instruction, including graduate design thesis.

The school has designed its pedagogy upon a creative engagement with the prevailing realities of the city as a primary means of cultural transformation, and perceives Portland as an urban laboratory for speculations into contemporary social and environmental issues. Taking place through interaction and collaboration with the communities at large, the school promotes theoretical exploration, critical dialogue and interpretive making with diverse media at multiple scales.

Portland State University School of Architecture offers a NAAB‑accredited professional two‑year Master of Architecture degree, a three‑year track Master of Architecture, a four‑year pre‑professional undergraduate degree in architecture, and Graduate Certificates in both Public Interest Design and Urban Design. The candidate must be able to teach effectively across all levels and be fully engaged in the innovation of new pedagogic strategies and curricular development.

Instructional

• Master's degree in Architecture
• Candidates should demonstrate tangible instructional experience in teaching situations, including structures, building technology classes, and architectural design studio, with at least 3 years of teaching experience (equivalent to 2 years of full‑time teaching).
• Candidates must be able to articulate an existing, continuing research and/or creative agenda that expands the scholarly field of architecture and demonstrate how this will contribute to the enrichment of school pedagogy.

• Creates an environment that acknowledges, encourages and celebrates differences.
• Functions and communicates effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities and cultural backgrounds.
• Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.
• Adheres to all PSU's policies including the policies on Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment and the Professional Standards of Conduct.

Contributes to a culture of environmental stewardship, practices resource conservation, and actively works toward achieving long‑term sustainability goals.

At Portland State University, all employees are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner which maintains a safe, respectful, and productive environment for faculty, students, administrators, and staff. It is the responsibility of every member of the Portland State University community to conduct themselves in accordance with our PSU Professional Standards of Conduct.

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