The Role
We are looking for a talented lecturer to join us to deliver teaching and contribute to curriculum design within the Product & Furniture Design MA and Sustainable Design MA courses. This is an opportunity to work with a creative team within the 3D Department, Kingston School of Art. You will contribute to the teaching, professional engagement, and research activities of the department, and be expected to teach L7 (Master’s level) students in the first instance. You will be expected to support the course teams and Head of Department to develop the subject area within the department. You will have a profile as a designer with the necessary experience of teaching in design education.
The Product & Furniture Design MA and Sustainable Design MA courses are part of the Design School's Postgraduate Framework programme, and have a number of shared modules. You will be expected to teach across the Product & Furniture Design modules (course-specific) and the Postgraduate Framework (shared modules). The two courses are focused on creating positive change for people, communities, spaces and places:
We are a community of interdisciplinary practice seeking to challenge, expand and progress definitions of design. We are interested in the possibilities and consequences of designer as maker / innovator / persuader / curator / transmitter / educator / activist. We take an unbounded approach, using ‘what-if?’ to open spaces for critical debate and imaginative thought. We respond in practical, provocative and speculative ways. We question the making of design and who does it, the systems of design and who accesses it, and the objectives of design and its contribution to society. We are motivated by the interconnected ecological, social, and economic challenges of our rapidly changing world. We contribute our global perspectives and diverse experiences to our collective understanding. We ‘make’ and ‘do’ through a studio and workshop culture. We are collaborative. We are curious. We are Citizen Designers.
The 3D Design Department is one of the four departments in the highly successful Kingston School of Art’s Design School. The 3D Design Department’s portfolio consists of Interior Design BA, Product & Furniture Design BA, 3D Graduate Diploma, Interior Design MA, Product & Furniture Design MA and Sustainable Design MA. The ethos of the department is Thinking Through Making. We are a close-knit community, with excellent industry links, research, and an enterprise culture. Our graduates are sought after, with many winning awards for their graduate projects at prestigious forums such as RSA Awards, Creative Conscience and New Designers. Many of our staff are well established industry practitioners.
The Person
We are looking for a person with core knowledge of the key principles and perspectives of product, furniture and sustainable design practice. You will have an excellent understanding of making, materiality and technology, as well as an awareness of future-facing and/or emerging fields of design. You will excel in supporting students in challenging and questioning the parameters of contemporary design disciplines through critical discourse, experimental making, speculative approaches, and collaborative working. You will have experience in constructing curriculum that can respond to real-world concerns and students’ professional ambitions. Your expertise will enable students to develop the attributes and skills required to operate as a professional in the future creative industries, including collaboration, self-advocacy, presenting, relationship building, and project management.
We aim to expand our capability and further develop innovation in the subject. As such, we would be additionally interested in expertise in areas including bio-based materials / emerging technology / speculative practices.
Ideal Attributes:
1. A degree in Product/ Industrial/ Furniture/ Sustainable Design and/or related discipline or industry experience.
2. A critical approach to professional practice, teaching and/or research in design, and how this intersects with real-world contexts.
3. Excellent understanding of making, materiality, technology, awareness of future-facing and/or emerging fields of design, and the sustainability agenda.
4. A thorough and up-to-date understanding of contemporary design practice nationally and internationally and an ambition to challenge parameters.
5. Solid practical/ technical expertise in design.
6. Experience and understanding of how to effectively support diverse cohorts of students is essential.
7. Evidence of networking skills, awareness of the future direction of the subject area and key practitioners in the field.
You will be joining an environment that values equality and diversity and we aim to support all members of staff to excel and feel supported. We are committed to providing a fully inclusive environment for our students and staff. To ensure consistent and holistic support for our whole community, we welcome applications from under-represented groups.
Applicants must meet Kingston University’s learning and teaching standards. By the end of probation, you must achieve the relevant UKPSF recognition if not already obtained—either through our accredited Introduction to Learning and Teaching programme for new lecturers or the Kingston Academic Practice Standards framework for experienced educators.
The Faculty
Kingston School of Art (KSA) has a strong heritage. Since its origins in the late 19th century it has established an exceptional reputation and become one of the UK’s leading art and design educational institutions.
The Faculty combines a dedication to creative risk-taking, innovation and experimentation with a commitment to working with numerous local, national and global partners and collaborators to lead and shape the future of the creative and cultural industries. As an Art School within a university, KSA fuses the benefits of an art and design-focused identity with the ability to be at the forefront of exciting cross-disciplinary developments in diverse areas such as health, business, engineering and the humanities and social sciences.
Ranked in the top five per cent of the world for art and design education by QS Top Universities, KSA produces globally celebrated alumni, high performing courses, impactful research performance and regularly achieves industry and student awards while engaging with the latest thinking from industry practitioners.
The Faculty works with leading brands and institutions forging exciting partnerships with organisations like the ICA, the Design Museum and the BFI. More recently, the Faculty has expanded its international presence through partnerships with the Indian Institute of Art and Design and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, America.
With a wide variety of disciplines taught within the Faculty, KSA offers opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration in research and teaching – providing both exceptional choice for students and a stimulating environment for academics in the creative fields.