Program Description
Design Tech Innovation Fellow - Fall 2026-Spring 2027
The Department of Design Tech at Cornell University is launching a search for a Design Tech Innovation Fellow to begin Fall, 2026. The position is a full time nine-month position within Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning in Ithaca, NY. The position is renewable.
We seek design candidates who can engage in the full breadth of the Design Tech curriculum with focused interests and demonstrable expertise in design research areas including AI, Data, and Design; Computational Design and Robotics; Bio-inspired Design; Interaction Design; Digital, Spatial, and Immersive Environments; Responsive Programmable Materials; and Digital Media Design. We are particularly interested in candidates with intersecting expertise in design and emerging technologies.
A professional degree in either architecture, design arts, engineering design, materials science and design, computer science, computational design, or a PhD in a design-adjacent field where the PhD is the terminal degree is required. Candidate qualifications must include evidence of exceptional strength in design studio teaching as well as visionary practice and/or research work related to design and technology.
Faculty responsibilities will include:
- Teaching one core and one elective course at the graduate and undergraduate levels each semester
- Mentoring and supervising students
- Advising masters and doctoral students (in a future PhD program)
- Contributions to service and shaping the culture and environment of Design Tech, the collaborating departments, and the university.
Compensation
- Salary $90,000
- Generous benefits package including healthcare (Endowed Employee Healthcare Information).
Cornell has been nationally recognized as an award-winning workplace for health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.
Required Application Materials
- Letter of interest, with clear indication of position being applied for;
- Curriculum vitae;
- Report of courses taught and evidence of teaching effectiveness;
- List of three references with telephone numbers as well as mail and email addresses; these references will be contacted only at a later stage of the search, and with the applicant's permission.
The department will begin reviewing applications on May 1, 2026.
About AAP:
The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business, the multi college Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy, each with world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies. Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and collaborative approaches to designing, making, and doing that make a more just and resilient future.
About the Department of Design Tech
The Department of Design Tech is a multicollege, transdisciplinary initiative pioneering innovation, research, and teaching on topics at the intersection of design and emerging technology that most greatly impact research, industry, and practice in a changing world.
Bridging expertise and catalyzing exploration, innovation, and collaboration in emerging areas, including design + interactions, design + materials, design + media, and design + environments, Design Tech is a generator of new modes, methods, and applications that redefine design practice and research.
Employment Assistance:
For specific questions about the position or application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or for general questions email mycareer@cornell.edu.
If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell Office of Civil Rights at voice (607) 255-2242, or email at accommodations@cornell.edu.
Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor.
Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.
EEO Statement:
Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRRA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.
Pay Ranges:
The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:
- Prior relevant work or industry experience.
- Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
- Academic Discipline (faculty pay ranges reflects 9-month annual salary)
- Unique applicable skills.