Open Positions

Honoring the legacy of R. Buckminster Fuller as a designer, inventor, and scientist who was committed to addressing pressing planetary and societal concerns, this newly established endowed professorship will support a visionary scholar and/or practitioner at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. We seek individuals who support and expand upon the school’s mission by demonstrating a systemic, ethical, and innovative approach to global issues, through scholarship and/or design of contemporary relevance and urgency. The future of our planet and the quest for sustainable design solutions rank high among these issues.

We are especially interested in someone with a record of cross-disciplinary research and/or practice. The successful candidate will be appointed within the department that is most appropriate to their primary field of expertise but will be expected to bridge across all the disciplines represented in the GSD’s academic departments and non-departmental programs, as well as establishing collaborative research and pedagogy with other Harvard schools. This position is envisioned with a certain degree of latitude. The role is for a full-time tenure track associate professor or a part-time junior or senior practice position that will engage with and teach in one or several of the school’s degree programs. These include architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, design studies, design engineering, and doctoral studies. Importantly, the successful candidate will have the capacity to address the needs of the Master in Design Studies and Master in Design Engineering programs in particular.

The successful candidate will also be an effective and experienced teacher and can demonstrate a record of outstanding creative research through scholarship and/or practice that advances one or more disciplines.

Academic qualifications depend on the profile of the successful applicant. Candidates who pursue largely scholarly research are generally expected to hold a Doctoral degree, while design practitioners may have an alternative terminal degree, appropriate to support the appointment rank.

The faculty search committee will review applications on a rolling basis starting in March 2026.

Initial Submission

Candidates should submit:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• If relevant, selected material from your portfolio, including publications, plans, reports, or design work, depending on experience, up to 25 mb
• Names and contact information for a minimum of three referees. (Candidates will be notified regarding requests for evaluation letters during the subsequent phase of the recruitment process. Please note that your referees may or may not be asked for letters.)

Subsequent Submission

At a later date, candidates advancing in the selection process will be asked to provide additional material.

Please submit your application via Harvard’s application system.

Harvard’s Department of Landscape Architecture is actively seeking highly qualified individuals for the position of full professor, offering graduate-level instruction and conducting advanced research with an emphasis on design.

The preferred candidate should have established a distinguished international reputation for their work in the discipline and/or profession of landscape architecture. They should have experience teaching at the graduate level, and are expected to teach in design studios, lectures, seminars, and/or workshops in the context of an interdisciplinary design school with collaborative faculties in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, real estate, design engineering, and design studies. Applicants should be prepared to advise thesis students and doctoral students. All full professors at the GSD are active participants in the collective project of the school itself, which might include program and departmental leadership roles.

We seek candidates who are committed to advancing environmental and social justice in the contemporary city. Candidates should demonstrate expertise in landscape architecture and its intersection with urban design and contemporary public realm design—including, for example, innovative infrastructure design, climate change, human health and design, engagement with underserved communities, urban recreational landscapes, waste sites, and post-industrial landscapes—at all scales of human and non-human interactions. Candidates should see their work as expanding disciplinary boundaries and working across scales, embracing the multiple forces that contribute to the conceptualization of urban landscapes and their public dimensions. We are interested in candidates who have developed a research trajectory in public realm landscapes or with a history of consequential professional practice that ties to a design research agenda. 

The Department of Landscape Architecture educates landscape architects as committed protagonists in the urgent global demand to design a more equitable distribution of ecological, environmental, spatial, and economic resources. Candidates should regard this position as a robust platform for cultural discourse, community engagement, and disciplinary leadership in the advancement of improved landscape futures across all regions of the world.

Applicants are required to hold a master-level degree in landscape architecture or equivalent, or in a closely related field. A doctoral degree is considered an enhancement. The school seeks to attract and retain individuals who possess a quality of mind demonstrating high levels of independent thought, clarity of expression, analytical ability, critical judgment, imagination, creativity, initiative, and industry, and a quality that enables individuals to support free inquiry and expression by others and to interact in constructive, collegial, congenial collaboration with faculty, staff, and students. Creative contributions to the field through scholarship and/or design are essential to effective teaching over time. Continued study and inquiry with public exposition of research and professional accomplishments are normal obligations of faculty at Harvard.

The position of professor is intended for individuals pursuing full-time academic careers who are highly effective teachers and whose creative work in scholarship, design research/work, or professional practice, or a combination thereof, is recognized by peers as a preeminent and enduring intellectual contribution to their field. Individuals in this position will employ their time teaching, conducting creative work in scholarship or design research, and fulfilling their responsibilities for academic service including academic administration. Appointments are made with tenure on a full-time basis with a requirement for residency in Greater Boston.

The faculty search committee will review applications on a rolling basis starting in June.

Initial Submission:

Candidates should submit:

• Letter of Interest
• Curriculum Vitae

Subsequent Submission: At a later date, candidates advancing in the selection process will be asked to provide additional material.

Please submit your application via Harvard’s application system.

Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design aims to advance the frontiers of design technology, to educate leaders in design, research, and scholarship, and to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world. The Department of Architecture invites applications for full-time, tenure track positions at the rank of Assistant/Associate Professor in Design Computation in relation to fabrication, AI/machine learning, and/or related digital media fields. While the department’s priority is filling tenure track positions, we will also consider part-time Assistant/Associate Professorships in Practice of Architecture. This position is housed in the Department of Architecture, which offers the M.Arch I and M.Arch II degrees. The selected candidate is expected to engage students and colleagues in Architecture and across the school’s other departments and programs, including the Master in Design Studies Program, as well as the Master in Design Engineering.

Teaching responsibilities will primarily involve required introductory courses in Computational Design / Digital Media and Digital Fabrication, as well as advanced courses in these areas or in AI/machine learning. The successful applicant should also be able to participate in design studio reviews and offer instruction in the related areas and/or topics that are part of the required core technology sequence of the M.Arch I program. Examples include, but are not limited to structural design, construction technology, sustainability, computational design studio, digital media, etc. Candidates should be creative researchers advancing knowledge in the areas of technology as described above. A collaborative mindset and interest in engaging in the school’s Center for Green Buildings and Cities and/or the Laboratory for Design Technology are expected. Candidates should have an exemplary record of research and teaching and should be able to interact with related disciplines at Harvard, such as engineering and computer science.

Candidates with a doctoral degree in a related area are preferred and/or candidates must have completed a Masters or Advanced degree in Architecture or a related field by the time the appointment begins; applicants not holding a doctoral degree but possessing exceptional experience and achievement, along with a Masters or Advanced degree will also be considered.

This appointment is anticipated to start in fall 2027. We will review applications on a rolling basis starting in August 2026.

Initial Submission

Candidates should upload the following materials:

1. A letter of interest that speaks to your qualifications and research/pedagogical fit.

2. Current CV

3. Selected material from your portfolio, amounting to 50mb or less.

4. Names and contact information for a minimum of three references. (Candidates will be notified regarding requests for recommendation letters during the subsequent phase of the recruitment process).

Subsequent Submission

At a later date, candidates advancing in the selection process will also be asked to provide the following:

1. Full portfolio.

2. Statement of teaching philosophy and design/research interests, describing the following in no more than 750 words:

a) your pedagogical approach, including how your own projects and research relate to the broader goals of architectural education.

b) your plans for a design/research agenda at the GSD.

Please submit your application via Harvard’s application system.

Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design aspires to provide education and scholarship of the highest quality—to advance the frontiers of design knowledge, to educate leaders in design, research, and scholarship, to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world.

The Department of Architecture invites applications for multiple full-time and/or part-time positions at Open Rank. While the department’s priority is filling full-time tenure track positions, we will also consider part-time senior and junior Professorships in Practice of Architecture and various Lecturer positions at all levels. The successful candidate or candidates will demonstrate expertise in design, playing an active role in design pedagogy of the core studio curriculum. In addition, the candidate(s) will specialize in one or more of the following areas: Design Innovation/Spatial Practice; Construction/Material Culture; Climate/Sustainability. The appointment for a full-time position would require residency in Cambridge/Boston, MA.

Teaching responsibilities will involve required design studio courses for students in the professional MArch programs. Additionally, the successful candidate will offer lecture courses and research-based seminars in their area of scholarship to students across the professional, and post-professional tracks. The candidates are expected to regularly engage with design students and faculty through thesis advising, guest critiques, and project reviews.

Candidates should be creative designers who show promise of an innovative approach and a clear voice in the discipline that contributes to the discourse of architecture. Candidates should also demonstrate investment in design scholarship and in critical and creative studio pedagogy, particularly with respect to teaching foundational design. Candidates at senior levels should provide evidence of all of the above as well as a distinguished track record of design achievement including global recognition in the field.

Candidates will hold a Master of Architecture or related advanced degree. They will have relevant work experience in architectural design, exemplary practice, and a record of scholarship. Ideally, the candidate will have more than three years of teaching experience. Professional licensure is desirable but not a pre-requisite.

The appointment(s) is expected to start in AY 2027-2028. The faculty search committee will review applications on a rolling basis starting June 1, 2026.

Initial Submission:

Candidates should upload:

1. A letter of interest

2. Current CV

3. Selected material from your portfolio, amounting to 15 mb or less.

4. Names and contact information for a minimum of three referees. (Candidates will be notified regarding requests for recommendation letters during the subsequent phase of the recruitment process.)

Subsequent Submission:

At a later date, candidates advancing in the selection process will also be asked to provide the following:

• Full Portfolio
• Samples of Syllabi
• Academic statements:
  • A teaching statement that describes your pedagogical approach and how you position it within the broader educational requirements of design education and the Architecture program (500-650 words)
  • A design practice and/or research statement that characterizes the focus of your practice and/or your area of research and how would carry it forward at the GSD. (500-650 words)
  • A service statement that describes your contributions to administrative roles and service to the school or to your field. (500-650 words, optional)

Please submit your application via Harvard’s application system.

The Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD) invites applications for a faculty position at the rank of Professor of Urban Design with tenure from distinguished scholars and practitioners. We seek candidates whose record of research, scholarship, and/or professional practice is recognized by peers as constituting exemplary, innovative approaches that critically engage with key challenges facing cities, including sustainable spatial patterns, conflicts facing the public realm, transformations of work and living environments, and growing economic and social inequalities while integrating these challenges within an epistemology of urban-architectural design.

In addressing these challenges, we are interested in candidates who are committed to interdisciplinary engagement in a school that hosts the fields of urban planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and real estate, as well as with schools within Harvard University at large. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to engage with a full range of urban design methods such as the deployment of digital platforms, new technologies including AI, and the latest innovations in spatial analysis and representation. Applicants should have a forward-looking agenda combining design research with studio and/or classroom pedagogy.

Applicants must have an advanced terminal degree in urban design, architecture, or a related design field focused on cities.

The school aims to attract and retain individuals who possess a quality of mind demonstrating high levels of intelligence, clarity of expression, analytical ability, critical judgment, creativity, and initiative. We also value individuals who support free inquiry and expression by others and constructive, collegial collaborations with faculty, staff, and students. In the school’s evaluation of candidates, desirable individual qualities and high potential are not substitutes for a record of academic and creative achievement. Accomplished contributions to the field through scholarship and/or design are essential to effective teaching over time. Continued study and investigation with public exposition of research and professional accomplishments are normal obligations for Harvard faculty members.

The position of tenured professor is intended for individuals pursuing full-time academic careers who are highly effective teachers and whose creative work in scholarship, design research/work, professional practice, or a combination thereof, is recognized by peers as a preeminent and enduring intellectual contribution to their field. Individuals in this position will employ their time teaching, conducting creative work in scholarship or design research/work, and fulfilling their responsibilities for academic service. Appointments are made with tenure on a full-time basis. The appointment for a full-time position requires residency in Cambridge/Boston, MA.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in August 2026.

Applicants should submit:

• A cover letter
• A Curriculum Vitae
• Design and research work samples – selected material from your portfolio, including publications, research statement, design work (up to 15 mb).

Subsequent Submission: Candidates advancing in the selection process will be asked to provide additional material later.

Please submit your application via Harvard’s application system.

The Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD) seeks to appoint a full-time, tenure-track assistant or associate professor whose scholarship and teaching engage spatial, geospatial, and data visualization technologies both as applied design and planning tools as well as objects of critical inquiry. We seek candidates who demonstrate hands-on experience and skill in using novel spatial and geospatial data sources, advanced analytics, and computational modeling. Areas of focus through which qualitative and quantitative data can be engaged include planning or design applications in housing, urban development, urban form, neighborhood change, infrastructure, environmental adaptation, and transportation, among others.

We seek candidates who are committed to interdisciplinary engagement in a school that hosts urban planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and real estate, as well as with related disciplines across Harvard, such as engineering, computer science, and digital humanities. GSD aims to attract and retain individuals who possess a quality of mind demonstrating clarity of expression, analytical ability, critical judgment, creativity, and initiative. We also value individuals who support free inquiry and expression by others and constructive, collegial collaborations with faculty, staff, and students.

Candidates should demonstrate evidence of strong research productivity appropriate to their career stage, including a record of refereed publications and national and international conference presentations. They should demonstrate a willingness and potential to secure external grant funds and the ability to lead research teams of graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Candidates should also demonstrate potential for excellence in teaching, with knowledge of inclusive and engaged teaching practices.

Candidates who pursue largely scholarly research are generally expected to hold a Doctoral degree, while practitioners may have an alternative terminal degree, appropriate to support the appointment rank. In either case, candidates should have a terminal degree focused on urban design, urban planning, geography, public policy, or a related discipline concerned with urbanization. Candidates should bear in mind that Harvard grants tenure only at the full-professor level.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in June 2026.

Applicants should submit:

• A cover letter
• A current Curriculum Vitae
• Up to 15mb of select, relevant material including publications, design work, and/or other demonstrations of spatial analysis, visualization methods, and research impact.
• Names and contact information for a minimum of three referees. (Candidates will be notified regarding requests for evaluation letters during the subsequent phase of the recruitment process. Please note that referees may or may not be asked for letters.)

Subsequent Submissions: Candidates advancing in the selection process will be asked to provide additional materials at a later date.

About the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Department of Urban Planning and Design:

In the pursuit of more productive, equitable, sustainable, and aesthetically powerful designed environments, GSD offers a dynamic setting for the exchange of ideas across the fields of urban planning, urban design, real estate, architecture, landscape architecture, design studies, and design engineering.

Composed of internationally experienced scholars and practitioners, the Urban Planning and Design Department’s faculty explore the designed environment from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and points of view. The Department offers graduate degrees in urban planning, urban design, and real estate and features a pedagogically diverse array of interdisciplinary studios, lecture courses, seminars, and independent studies that consider practical and theoretical issues affecting cities and metropolitan areas around the world.

The Department is built on the conviction that both classroom and community experiences are enriched by creating space for multiple perspectives to be surfaced, understood, and valued. Such conditions produce optimal learning environments and healthy interpersonal relationships. The Department is committed to translating these values into its pedagogy, practices, policies, and methods of engagement in classroom settings, with one another, and the world outside the GSD.

Please submit an application via Harvard’s application system.

Harvard University is launching the Sustainable Buildings and Urban Future Cluster—a bold, interdisciplinary research initiative designed to address the climate crisis through transformative innovation in the built environment. This pioneering effort brings together Harvard scholars and practitioners across chemistry, materials science, fluid mechanics, AI, computer science, architecture, and engineering to develop scalable, data-informed solutions in sustainable design, construction, and energy management.

The Cluster aims to modernize—and ultimately revolutionize—energy management by building on and scaling the HouseZero® concept—Harvard’s prototype for ultra-efficient, naturally ventilated smart buildings—into interconnected communities. This unique initiative integrates three synergistic research thrusts:
1. Advanced thermal storage and sensing materials
2. Intelligent, building-scale integration of sensing and control systems
3. Cooperative, urban-scale energy management

Together, these research directions seek to reimagine how buildings and cities operate—optimizing energy use, enhancing human well-being, and reducing carbon emissions at scale.
We are seeking multiple Postdoctoral Researchers to join this collaborative effort. These three-year positions, starting September 1, 2025, are hosted by the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities and funded by the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. While the project is scheduled to launch in September, hiring may occur earlier, and selected candidates may have the opportunity to begin their appointments ahead of the official start date. Each postdoctoral researcher will work with one or more principal investigators (PIs) aligned with their domain expertise, while contributing to a highly integrated, interdisciplinary research team.

Key research areas include:
– Development of low-carbon materials and tunable thermal energy storage materials integrated with smart sensors and advanced algorithms
– Creation of Digital Twins for energy-efficient building and urban operation
Exploration of novel Human-Building Interaction interfaces
– Design of cooperative energy-sharing systems across multiple buildings
Integration of data-driven and physics-informed learning algorithms for scalable energy management and control
– Engagement with industry stakeholders to guide practical implementation and scale-up strategies

Ideal candidates will have expertise in one or more of the following areas: 
– Sustainable building systems or materials science
– Power system modeling, control systems, or HVAC alternatives
– IoT and sensor networks in the built environment
AI or data-driven modeling and control for building and urban systems
– Human-centered or interaction design for smart systems

Postdoctoral researchers will collaborate closely with faculty from the Graduate School of Design, the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, as well as with industry experts. This is a rare opportunity to contribute to a high-impact, interdisciplinary initiative at the forefront of climate innovation.

Leading faculty:
Joanna Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science
Petros Koumoutsakos, Herbert S. Winokur Jr. Professor of Computing in Science and Engineering
Na Li, Winokur Family Professor in Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics
Le Xie, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering
Ali Malkawi, Professor of Architectural Technology
Jarad Mason, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Vijay Janapa Reddi, John L. Loeb Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering

Please submit a CV, a cover letter, a research statement, two example research papers, and the names of three references. In the cover letter, please list at least two co-PIs from the above list you would like to work with. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The positions are intended for individuals who hold a Ph.D. or Doctorate Degree in a related area.
Final hiring decisions will be contingent on availability of funding. Join us in redefining how we live, build, and share energy in a changing world.

Please submit your application via Harvard’s application system.