Assistant Professor Position in Artificial Intelligence for Architecture, Landscape Architecture or Urban Design

Academic

Job Category

Faculty Bargaining

Job Title

Assistant Professor Position in Artificial Intelligence for Architecture, Landscape Architecture or Urban Design

Department

Administrative Leadership School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture Faculty of Applied Science (Ronald Kellett)

Posting End Date

December 3, 2023

Note : Applications will be accepted until 11 : 59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position in Artificial Intelligence for Architecture, Landscape Architecture or Urban Design

The University of British Columbia (UBC) and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture acknowledges the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam people) on whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the University resides.

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for a tenure-track appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor anticipated to begin 1 July 2024.

This new position, one of eleven created in the Faculty of Applied Science (APSC) through a UBC President's Academic Excellence Initiative (PAEI), recruits new, transformational academic expertise and research capability across the academic units of the University of British Columbia.

About PAEI in APSC

Within APSC, the leadership of its constituent Schools and Departments has come together around a shared vision of a like-minded community of scholars ready to challenge and create new ways of generating and applying impactful knowledge in areas related to Healthy, Equitable and Adaptable Cities & Communities, a central theme in the Faculty of Applied Science strategic plan, Transforming Tomorrow, 2020.

Within this theme, issues of equity, spatial and social justice and the climate emergency, recently amplified by the global COVID-19 pandemic, have long been pressing concerns in the Faculty.

As societies look towards creating new pathways to the future, it is more important than ever that the scholarly community seeks innovative approaches in the ways we study, learn and research.

This includes how the questions we address are identified, how we do research and with whom, how we learn together across disciplinary boundaries and cultural traditions, and how we share and develop ideas and knowledge.

If scholarly knowledge is to have impact, new methodological approaches are needed, creating new intellectual traditions which better contribute to the realisation of healthy, safe, inclusive and thriving communities.

The Faculty of Applied Science at UBC is uniquely positioned to advance this creative and impactful vision through a distinctive constellation of units, with expertise and academic programs in health, technology, design and communities guided by the Transforming Tomorrow strategic plan that prioritizes transforming ourselves, our scholarship and our learning to address urgent challenges facing communities and cities, near and far.

• Academic units of the Faculty include three Schools : Architecture and Landscape Architecture; Community and Regional Planning;
• and Nursing; and six engineering departments : Chemical and Biological Engineering; Civil Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering;

Mechanical Engineering; Materials Engineering; Mining Engineering; and the School of Biomedical Engineering.

About SALA

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) is a close-knit and collaborative academic community of approximately 530 students and over 50 faculty and part-time faculty.

SALA offers accredited professional degree programs in architecture and landscape architecture, post-professional graduate programs in research, urban design and high-performance buildings, and a pre-professional undergraduate program in design.

The SALA community is committed to quality design education directed toward the urgent human and environmental issues of our times, and to the integration of the built and natural environment across scales.

These priorities and themes are engaged through academic and research interactions within and across the 'living laboratories' of UBC campus, the Vancouver metropolitan region, and the academic and professional communities of which SALA is a part.

The 2021 QS World University Rankings ranks SALA as the #1 school of architecture and the built environment in Canada. Additional information about SALA, its academic programs, faculty and community can be viewed at : https : / / sala.ubc.ca.

About this position

Within the context of the wider PAEI initiative, SALA seeks an Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence for Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design able to advance applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence toward solving design research challenges of critical importance to the Healthy, Equitable and Adaptable Cities and Communities theme.

• Of particular interest are applications of design and computational expertise that are spatial and design process-related such as, but not limited to : parametric planning, design, and simulation;
• data analytics and visualization for design, fabrication, and integrated construction; robotics; computer vision; integrated engineering and design;

and design performance evaluation.

While this is a broad call for diverse areas of research and teaching expertise, SALA seeks candidates fundamentally committed to methods of research, scholarship or creative practice capabilities that address urgent challenges in architecture, landscape architecture or urban design such as climate change, resource efficiency, environmental and ecological quality, quality of life, and inclusive, equitable communities.

The successful candidate will be expected to develop an independent, internationally recognized research program, and seek funding, both as an individual and in collaboration with others, from public and private sources.

Strong candidates will have demonstrated evidence or clear potential to excel in research and teaching within one or more of these topic areas and be able to articulate and demonstrate how their work is impactful for contemporary challenges and advances innovation through collaborative work across academic disciplines and / or with non-academic partners and learning from others in related fields.

The successful candidate will be expected to work in collaboration with other new appointees and existing faculty in APSC to build a significant cluster of innovative teaching and research related to the cluster theme.

• The successful candidate will also fill crucial teaching roles in SALA, contributing to teaching and curriculum development through one or more programs including a pre-professional Bachelor of Design in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urbanism;
• professional graduate programs Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture; post-professional graduate degree programs including a Master of Urban Design, Master of Engineering Leadership in High Performance Buildings;

and graduate research degree programs including a forthcoming PhD program in Design, Technology and Society (in proposal).

Teaching assignments may include courses such as design studio, computational design, design technology and courses related to the candidate's research agenda.

Qualifications

Candidates will hold a terminal degree in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, or Urban Design (PhD, or Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Urban Design or comparable combination of relevant academic and professional education and experience).

All applicants should have a record of research excellence and a commitment to the highest standards of teaching. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate how their research seeks to impact contemporary societal challenges through innovation supportive of collaborative work between and among academic disciplines and / or with non-academic partners.

Strong applicants are likely to be comfortable working with and learning from non-specialists in their field.

Candidates with a record, or demonstrated potential, for innovative approaches to research and teaching, including those that advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion or leverage lived experience are preferred.

Preference will also be given to those able to demonstrate potential to engage with and contribute to the design and interdisciplinary culture of SALA and APSC.

If you are unsure as to whether your expertise falls within the terms of this position, you are invited to contact the Chair of the Search Committee directly, providing details of your field of expertise (see 'For further information' section below).

Equity and diversity

Equity, diversity and inclusion are essential attributes of academic excellence and SALA is committed to improving its programs, processes and operations toward that end.

This commitment encompasses racial injustice, gender, sexuality, religion, colonialism, and physical and invisible forms of disability within the School and within the professional disciplines to which it contributes.

Through its recruitment processes, SALA seeks to bring diverse people and experiences into the ideas and approaches to design within our School and to our students.

SALA values the contributions that each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all in our community.

The successful candidate will be expected to cultivate productive relationships across cultural differences and develop an equitable, diverse and inclusive teaching and research approach that promotes a respectful, creative and productive environment for all students, staff and faculty.

SALA is guided to this end by UBC's Inclusion Action Plan, which operationalizes the themes of inclusion, innovation and collaboration in 'Shaping UBC's Next Century' strategic plan.

This Plan articulates UBC's commitments to reconciliation, and recognition of the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of Indigenous peoples upon which the University and its communities are located.

These values are amplified by an Indigenous Strategic Plan and facilitated by an Office of Community Engagement Support.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged.

We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and / or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

All applicants will be invited by email to complete a voluntary and anonymous equity survey.

Application

We welcome applications from qualified candidates. To be considered, the following constitutes a full application package that must be submitted through the UBC application portal :

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• A 100-word summary, suitable for a non-specialist audience, outlining the nature and purpose of one's research, scholarship or creative practice.
• A statement of research goals that illustrates how one's research contributes to Healthy Equitable and Adaptable Cities & Communities (max. 2 pages)
• A statement of one's teaching philosophy and approach (max. 1 page)
• A selection of teaching work (maximum 20 pages / 5 MB per attachment; 25 MB total). Files can be uploaded in the My Experience section under Application Documents.

A total of 5 separate files with a max file size of 5 MB each can be uploaded.

• A statement of how one's research and teaching could contribute to an equitable, diverse and inclusive academic environment (max. 1 page)
• If applicable, up to three brief course proposals or examples of previously taught course syllabi
• Contact information for three references.

Anticipated Timeline

• Initial applications deadline is November 30, 2023. However, applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is selected.
• Application reviews begin in December 2023
• First Interviews (via Zoom) begin in January 2024
• Second Interviews (in-person) begin in February 2024
• Candidate selection anticipated in March 2024
• Anticipated start date 1 July 2024 or 1 January 2025

About Vancouver

UBC is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, a dynamic growing urban region of approximately 2.5 million on the west coast of Canada.

A gateway to the Pacific Rim, Vancouver is recognized for its quality of life and environment, commitment to sustainability, and related progressive practices in architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture.

The region offers a dramatic natural context of urban and suburban settlements and landscapes that offer provocative laboratories for the study of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design.

Contact

For further information about the School and the search process contact :

SALA Human Resources

[email protected]