Professor and Head, Department of Industrial Design

Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University – Design School

Contract Type: Fixed-term, renewable. 3rd contract is open-ended

HoD Appointment: 3 years’ appointment, renewable once

Position Open Date: September 1, 2026

ABOUT XJTLU

In 2006, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) was founded by a partnership between the University of Liverpool, UK, and Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. Offering a unique international education experience, XJTLU brings together excellent research practice and expertise from both institutions and gives students the skills and knowledge they need to secure careers in a global marketplace. XJTLU now has over 25,000 enrolled students studying in both Suzhou and Liverpool in the UK. There are currently about 2,500 staff, including more than 1,300 academic staff from over 60 countries. XJTLU offers our undergraduates and postgraduates over 120 programmes with a diverse spectrum of courses.

With a focus on innovative education and research, XJTLU draws on the strengths of its parent universities, and plays a pivotal role in facilitating access to China for UK and other institutional partners. At the same time, XJTLU is exploring future education by blending the educational theory, best practice and culture from the West and the East.

The year 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of XJTLU. As part of its strategic priorities for the coming decade, the university is entering a new and exciting phase of development. XJTLU continues to innovate in education models, and is now transitioning from a collection of distinct approaches toward a unified, integrated Academy model – a syntegrative ecosystem designed to break down silos, enhance agility, and solidify XJTLU’s position at the forefront of global education and research.

For detailed information about the university, please visit www.xjtlu.edu.cn.

ABOUT DESIGN SCHOOL AND DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

The Design School at XJTLU is an interdisciplinary centre for creative innovation and sustainable spatial design. It brings together four departments: Architecture, Civil Engineering, Industrial Design, and Urban Planning and Design, under a shared mission to address complex challenges in the built environment, product systems, cities, communities, and future lifestyles. The School integrates research, creative thinking, technical expertise, and industry engagement to develop innovative responses to the future of physical, digital, and hybrid environments. Rooted in sustainability and global-local engagement, the School leverages Suzhou’s cultural, industrial, and urban transformation as a living laboratory for design education, research, and practice.

The Department of Industrial Design at XJTLU responds to the emerging societal, economic, and environmental challenges of our time by placing sustainability, the circular economy, and Industry 4.0 at the centre of its undergraduate and postgraduate curricula and research agenda.

We aim to educate a new generation of industrial and product designers who can address future professional, societal, and market needs in the post-carbon era. Industrial Design graduates at XJTLU will contribute to China’s social, cultural, and economic development through a balance of innovation-driven design, technical knowledge, creative judgement, and practical capability.

The Department is entering a new phase of development focused on Emerging Design: a future-oriented approach to industrial design that integrates human-centred product innovation, circular and sustainable systems, AI-enabled design processes, interaction and experience design, robotics, immersive media, advanced materials, and digital fabrication. Building on established strengths in sustainability, circular design, and Industry 4.0, the Department aims to prepare designers who can shape meaningful products, services, systems, and experiences for the post-carbon and intelligent era.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Professor and Head of the Department of Industrial Design will provide academic, strategic, and operational leadership for the Department, including responsibility for its staff, programmes, resources, research culture, and external engagement. The appointee will be an internationally recognised academic and/or design practitioner whose record is commensurate with appointment at the Full Professor level. The appointee will also play a key role in shaping the Department’s future academic profile through strategic recruitment, mentoring, and the development of new capabilities in emerging areas of industrial design. The successful candidate will lead the Department into its next phase of development, strengthening its identity, research profile, studio-based education, industry partnerships, and international visibility. They will advance the Department’s Emerging Design agenda by connecting industrial design with sustainability, circular systems, AI-enabled design, interaction and experience design, robotics, advanced materials, immersive media, and digital fabrication, in alignment with the strategic direction of the Design School and the University.    

RESPONSIBILITIES

Academic and strategic leadership

• Provide academic, intellectual, and strategic leadership for the Department of Industrial Design, articulating a compelling long-term vision aligned with the Design School and University strategies.
• Advance the Department’s Emerging Design agenda across research, education, creative practice, and external engagement.
• Strengthen the Department’s national and international standing through high-quality research, creative practice, doctoral education, competitive funding, industry engagement, and strategic partnerships.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and ambitious departmental culture that supports excellence in teaching, research, practice, and professional service.
• Represent the Department and the Design School at relevant academic, professional, industry, and public-facing events.

Education, curriculum, and student experience

• Lead the development, renewal, and quality assurance of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, ensuring an excellent studio-based learning experience and alignment with relevant professional and disciplinary expectations.
• Integrate emerging technologies, including AI-enabled design, immersive media, robotics, advanced materials, and digital fabrication, into the curriculum where they strengthen design judgement, creativity, sustainability, and professional readiness.
• Attract high-quality domestic and international students through distinctive programmes, global partnerships, and a clear departmental identity.
• Strengthen student, alumni, and professional networks to support employability, postgraduate progression, and the Department’s long-term reputation.

Research, creative practice, and external engagement

• Maintain an internationally recognised programme of research, scholarship, and/or creative professional practice appropriate to appointment at Full Professor level
• Build and mentor research-active teams, supporting academic staff in career development, doctoral supervision, publications, creative outputs, competitive funding, and externally engaged projects
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with industry, government, community organisations, professional bodies, and international academic partners to enhance the Department’s relevance and impact
• Promote critical dialogue between Chinese and international design traditions, knowledge systems, and andragogical and heutagogical approaches to design education.

Management, governance, and resources

• Develop and implement departmental strategic plans aligned with the goals of the Design School and the University.
• Manage departmental resources, including budgets, facilities, laboratories, workshops, equipment, and staffing plans.
• Lead recruitment, induction, mentoring, workload planning, performance development, and succession planning for academic staff.
• Support change management initiatives that respond to evolving economic, technological, and educational conditions while strengthening the Department’s resilience and reputation.

Culture and professional values

• Serve as a role model for creativity, responsibility, sustainability, technical excellence, and professional integrity.
• Foster inclusivity, diversity, collaboration, and shared purpose across the Department.
• Inspire students, staff, and stakeholders to shape desirable futures through industrial design, product innovation, and responsible design practice.

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCES

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build productive relationships across academic, professional, industry, government, and community contexts.
• Inspirational and inclusive leadership, with the capacity to foster unity, shared purpose, and high performance in a diverse international environment.
• A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching, research, practice, recruitment, and departmental culture.
• The ambition, creativity, and organisational capability to lead in an environment of continued growth, change, and internationalisation.
• Proven experience addressing complex challenges, including economic constraints, technological transformation, sustainability pressures, and changing student and industry expectations.
• A strong commitment to sustainability, innovation, and responsible design practice in industrial design and design education.

Applicants should:

• Hold a PhD or equivalent terminal degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, HCI, Engineering, Design Technology, Design Innovation, or a closely related field.
• Have substantial academic leadership and management experience, normally including at least five years in leadership roles, with a successful record of strategy development, team leadership, staff development, and the management of budgets, facilities, and resources.
• Meet the University’s criteria for appointment as a Full Professor, with a sustained and internationally recognised record of excellence in research and/or creative professional practice. Evidence may include high-quality publications, significant design outputs, competitive grants, patents or prototypes, awards, doctoral supervision, industry collaboration, and disciplinary leadership.
• Demonstrate excellence in learning and teaching, including the ability to lead studio-based design education, curriculum development, and quality assurance at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Show capacity to attract and mentor high-quality students and staff, and to build a research, teaching, and practice culture aligned with the Department’s Emerging Design agenda.

Desirable areas of expertise

• AI-driven design: generative design, AI-assisted product development, design automation, critical AI practice, AI-enhanced products and experiences, and integration of AI with digital fabrication.
• Human-centred interaction and experience design: UX/HCI, intelligent products, service design, mixed reality, spatial interaction, and user-centred product-service systems.
• Creative robotics and embodied technologies: assistive technologies, healthcare and wellbeing, robotic prototyping, human-machine interaction, exoskeletal design, and robotics-enabled user experiences.
• Design materialisation: sustainable materials, smart materials, advanced manufacturing, digital craft, prototyping, fabrication, and the physical realisation of design concepts.
• Circular and social innovation: product-service systems, circular economy, design for repair, reuse and longevity, sustainable lifestyles, community engagement, and design for social impact.
• Design entrepreneurship and industry translation: live projects, start-up pathways, design strategy, brand and product ecosystems, industry partnerships, and market-facing innovation

Candidates with the ability to connect several of these areas into a coherent research, teaching, and industry-engagement agenda are particularly encouraged to apply.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

1. Clear career development path with annual review.
2. Professional development training is provided.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The Head of Department is eligible to receive a duty allowance.

SALARY: Competitive, commensurate with qualifications and experience

BENEFITS

1. Allowance: XJTLU provides various monthly, annual, and one-off allowances, including

• Housing allowance
• Travel allowance
• Relocation allowance
• Child education allowance

2. Commercial insurance: international insurance plans customised for XJTLU staff and eligible family members, subject to University policy.

3. Paid holidays:

• Statutory Holidays (13 days)
• Annual Leave (34 days including national holiday and university closing days)
• Family Matters Leave
• Paid Sick Leave
• Marriage Leave
• Paternity Leave
• Parental leave
• Research Leaves

 4. Working visa and residence permit in China: XJTLU sponsors working visas and residence permits for eligible staff in China.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application on the XJTLU career website by clicking the 'Apply' button

Applications shall include:

• A cover letter
• A vision statement
• A current CV, including country of citizenship, and highest degree level
• Contact details for three references

For specific enquiries about the position, please email the Dean of Design School, Professor Marc Aurel Schnabel, at MarcAurel.Schnabel@xjtlu.edu.cn.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to the HR representative for Design School, Ms Zhi Yang, at Zhi.Yang@xjtlu.edu.cn.

Please quote the position and job-ID in your enquiry.