Michigan Tech Hiring 1st Professor of Practice in UX/UI

What do you think of when you think of Michigan Technological University? Hockey? Snow? Engineering? In addition to all of those things, Michigan Tech is also home to a well-established Graduate Program in Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors and Undergraduate Program in Scientific and Technical Communication. The University sees great value in these areas of study, and now their user experience presence continues to grow up in the Upper Peninsula!

Michigan Tech is currently developing a proposal for a new Bachelor’s Degree in Human Factors. To support this initiative, the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences and the Department of Humanities are looking to hire a Professor of Practice in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design.

What is a professor of practice? Universities hire professionals with strong industry experience and knowledge to teach the next generations of professionals. These professors of practice usually act as a bridge to connect industry and academia. Professors of practice are more commonly seen in business and engineering programs. Based on our research, this is the first position of its kind in the state of Michigan in the field of user experience.

Michigan Tech is looking for someone with seven or more years of UX industry experience, has served in technical lead or leadership roles, and is actively involved in UX professional communities. Some of the main responsibilities for this full-time faculty position will include (1) teaching multiple, small upper-level courses related to UI/UX (e.g., 14-25 students per course) and developing other programs; (2) establishing and collaborating with industry partners, and (3) helping support student’s academic and career success. If interested, the Professor of Practice may also engage in interdisciplinary research with faculty across campus.

Interested in teaching? Want to be part of Michigan UX history? It’s not too late to apply! To learn more about this position, check out Michigan Tech’s Professor of Practice, UI and UX Design job posting. The position will begin in August of 2021. (And yes, you will need to live in the UP.)