Assistant Professor – Interior Architecture & Design: Digital and Analogue Making

FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35hrs per week) Open-ended

Reward and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff.

Purpose of Role 

The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in design and making — spanning digital fabrication, analogue craft, material intelligence, and the space where these practices converge — and a strong commitment to integrating hands-on making culture into contemporary interior architecture education. In addition to an active scholarly agenda and a strong presence in the teaching studio, the post holder will be expected to take on, or grow into, the role of Programme Director for the BA Interior Architecture and Design. 

A defining feature of this appointment is the opportunity to help establish and shape the School’s new Makers' Lab on the Scottish Borders campus — a physical research and making environment that the incoming postholder will play a central role in developing, equipping, and connecting to the team's design research agenda. This is a rare chance to build something from the ground up, and candidates with a clear vision for how a University making facility can drive both pedagogical innovation and research impact are particularly encouraged to apply. 

Person Specification 

These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be made.

Essential

1. PhD in Interior Architecture, Architecture, Design, or a closely related field with a strong focus on making, fabrication, or material practice — or equivalent professional achievement with a clear scholarly contribution. 
2. Demonstrable expertise in digital fabrication technologies (such as CNC milling, laser cutting, or 3D printing) and analogue making practices (such as joinery, model-making, casting, or material prototyping) as applied to interior architecture and spatial design. 
3. Strong design studio skills and a clear, demonstrable commitment to excellence in architectural and interiors pedagogy at undergraduate and postgraduate level. 
4. A developing publication record or equivalent research output. 
5. Demonstrated independence in research, with evidence of research vision and strategy. 
6. Teaching experience in higher education, including studio- and workshop-based teaching. 
7. Evidence of, or clear readiness for, academic leadership and programme management responsibility. 

Desirable

1. Recognised teaching qualification – e.g. PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning or membership/fellowship of Advance HE. If the successful candidate does not have a relevant qualification, completion of this will be expected within 2 years of appointment 
2. Alignment with the discipline's research themes in Design for Circular Economy, Material Reuse, and Sustainable Fabrication. 
3. Experience of establishing, managing, or developing a workshop, fabrication lab, or making facility in a higher education or professional context. 
4. Experience of programme leadership, course coordination, or significant administrative responsibility in a higher education context. 
5. Evidence of external research funding, as lead applicant or contributor. 
6. Experience of collaborative, cross-institutional, or industry-embedded research and making projects. 
7. Experience of quality assurance processes in UK higher education. 
8. Familiarity with circular economy principles and their application in material and fabrication practice. 

How to Apply

Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV

Applications can be submitted until 23:55 on Sunday 30^th August 2026.

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