Tenured Associate Professor: User Experience Design Program

Faculty/Academic Area: Faculty of Liberal Arts 

Department: User Experience Design 

Campus: Brantford 

Employee Group: WLUFA 

Requisition ID: 7056 

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF LIBERAL ARTS

USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN PROGRAM

Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) is a multi-campus university renowned for its extraordinary learning environment and highly personalized educational experience. As a comprehensive university with more than 19,000 students, Laurier has grown rapidly in research intensity while at the same time preserving our well-earned reputation for excellent undergraduate teaching and learning. With a multi-campus and multi-community culture, Laurier offers students an exceptional range of more than 100 academic programs. As a leader in higher education for more than a century, Laurier has offered students a transformative experience, an ethos that is offered in Laurier’s intention to inspire lives of leadership and purpose.

Laurier’s campuses and locations are on the Haldimand Tract, within the traditional territories of the Neutral, Anishnaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. A short 2.5-hour drive of 18 First Nations communities, including the Six Nations of the Grand River— the most populous First Nation in Canada — and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford both have large urban Indigenous populations. There are 12 Métis councils within a 3-hour radius. We recognize the unique heritages of Indigenous peoples and support their right to preserve and express their distinctive Indigenous cultures, histories, and knowledge through academic programming, research, and co-curricular activities. Laurier honours Indigenous knowledge through diverse ongoing initiatives, programs, funding events, and positions, including the university’s Indigenous Student Centres, its Centre for Indigegogy, the Indigenous Knowledge Fund, Indigenous Education Week and the annual Indigenous Research Symposium. Laurier welcomes a regular stream of Visiting Elders and has an Indigenous Curriculum Specialist, not to mention a growing number of Indigenous faculty, students, and staff.

The Brantford Campus is interwoven into Brantford’s downtown core with more than 3000 undergraduate and graduate students, over 80 full-time faculty, and 18 different programs across four different faculties. Laurier’s Brantford campus is home to numerous research centres such as the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa. The City of Brantford is approximately a one-hour drive along the QEW and Hwy. 403 from Toronto and the Niagara region and boasts a healthy arts and culture scene, world-class trails system for walking and biking, and a strong slate of festivals and events.

Faculty/Department/Program Description:

The Faculty of Liberal Arts, located at the Brantford campus, offers a wide range of programs, from traditional arts disciplines such as English and History to innovative and cutting-edge fields of study such as User Experience Design. In all the programs students get both knowledge and know-how; all programs offer experiential learning opportunities. Through several unique partnerships with Conestoga College and the University of Sussex, students have opportunities to include postgraduate certificates or an additional degree. The Master of Arts program in Social Justice and Community Engagement offered by the Faculty is unique in Canada. The Faculty currently has nearly 850 students and 33 full-time faculty, as well as many part-time instructors.

The User Experience Design Program was launched in 2017 and is one of the fastest-growing and innovative  degree programs in Canada.  Students in the UX major take courses in UX Research, UX Strategy, Interaction Design, Design Thinking, UI and Web Design, 3-D and Critical Making, Design Ethics, Designing for EDI, Graphic Design, Information Architecture, and Immersive Design. Students work on projects throughout their degree program with partners from industry, community and non-profit organizations, and may participate in a 12-month co-op after their third year.  Faculty research in the program has been funded by NSERC, SSHR, ORF, MITACS, and others.

Position Summary

The User Experience Design Program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Wilfrid Laurier University invites applications for a tenured faculty position at the rank of Associate Professor beginning July 1, 2024, subject to budgetary approval.

The successful candidate for this role will have a demonstrated record of academic leadership with experience in the development of new curricula and program innovation at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels, as well as strong connections to the industry. Prior experience as a program director or a department chair is preferred.

Because User Experience Design is interdisciplinary by nature, the successful candidate’s education, scholarship, and professional practice may be situated within a wide array of cognate disciplines. A doctoral degree (PhD) in Computer Science, Psychology, Information Science, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline with a research focus on interaction design, human-centred design, or systems design, is preferred.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated record of research excellence with a focus on some aspect of interaction design using qualitative and/or quantitative research methods. Evidence of research excellence can be demonstrated by publications in top-ranked and field-relevant journals and conferences, as well as research grant applications and awards. Along with a recent sample publication, applicants should submit a research statement that clearly describes the current focus of their research and their future research interests.

The successful candidate will be expected to teach core courses across a range of subjects within User Experience Design. These may include: UX Research Methods, Interaction Design, Information Architecture, and UX Strategy. Responsibilities will include undergraduate and graduate teaching, development of course and laboratory exercises, supporting experiential learning opportunities, curriculum development, and supervising undergraduate and graduate research projects.

Evidence of excellence in experiential teaching and pedagogical inquiry can be demonstrated through the teaching dossier submitted as part of the application. The teaching dossier should include a statement of teaching philosophy, sample course materials, and teaching evaluations or other evidence of teaching excellence.

The successful candidate will also be committed to collaboration or engagement with the broader community and contributing to the leadership and administration of the program’s degree programs.

The User Experience Design program at Wilfrid Laurier University is multidisciplinary in its focus and provides an innovative approach to the design of experiences including services, products, digital applications, and spaces.  The undergraduate major is offered at Laurier’s innovative Brantford campus that is integrated into the downtown core, and the minor in User Experience is offered on both the Waterloo and the Brantford campuses.

Applicants should submit:

• a cover letter outlining qualifications for the position and fit with User Experience Design at Laurier,
• a curriculum vitae,
• a teaching dossier including, statement of teaching philosophy and pedagogical approach, sample syllabi and course materials, teaching evaluations or evidence of teaching excellence,
• a research statement outlining current and future research interests and one recent publication,
• contact information (address, telephone, and email) for at least three referees. 

Application packages should be submitted electronically to:

Dr. Abby Goodrum,

Program Coordinator, User Experience Design

Wilfrid Laurier University

c/o Nicole Morgan, Academic Program Administrator (nmorgan@wlu.ca)

Electronic submission of applications will be accepted until January 15th, 2024 at 11:59p.m.

If you require any assistance applying for a position or would like this job posting in an alternative format, please contact Nicole Morgan, nmorgan@wlu.ca.

The Faculty of Liberal Arts wishes to thank all applicants for their interest. All nominations and applications shall be reviewed and considered under a set of criteria established by the Search Committee, and a shortlist of candidates shall be interviewed. Only those applicants selected for the shortlist will be contacted.

Diversity and creating a culture of inclusion is a key pillar of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Strategic Academic Plan and is one of Laurier’s core values. Laurier is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and welcomes applications from qualified members of the equity-deserving groups. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programming at Laurier are welcome to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at indigenous@wlu.ca. Candidates from other equity-deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programming at Laurier are welcomed to contact Equity and Accessibility at equity@wlu.ca. 

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, per Canadian immigration laws, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obligated to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenships; however, all applicants must include one of the following statements in their cover letter:

Yes, I am a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or

No, I am not a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

Members of designated groups must self-identify to be considered for employment equity. Candidates may self-identify, in confidence, to Dr. Janny Leung, Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts (jleung@wlu.ca). Further information on the equity policy can be found at https://www.wlu.ca/about/governance/assets/resources/8.4-employment-equity.html .

Applicants are encouraged to address any career interruptions or special circumstances that may have affected their record of research and teaching, in accordance with SSHRC and NSERC definitions and guidelines.

Wilfrid Laurier University endeavors to fill positions with qualified candidates who have a combination of education, experience, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position while demonstrating Laurier's Employee Success Factors.

Equity, diversity and creating a culture of inclusion are part of Laurier’s core values and central to the Laurier Strategy. Laurier is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and welcomes applications from candidates who identify as Indigenous, racialized, having disabilities, and from persons of any minority sexual and gender identities. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Candidates from other equity deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact Equity & Accessibility. We have strived to make our application process accessible, however if you require any assistance applying for a position or would like this job posting in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources. Contact information can be found at careers.wlu.ca/content/How-to-apply/

Should you be interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit www.wlu.ca/careers for additional information and the online application system. All applications must be submitted online. Please note, a CV and letter of introduction will be required in electronic form.