Interior Design: Teaching and Research Faculty, VCUQ

Alex Schofield

Interior Design: Teaching and Research Faculty, VCUQ

• 45001013
• Qatar
• Faculty
• Teaching & Research Faculty
• Qatar Campus MBU

Interior Design: Teaching and Research Faculty (Design Technologies)

Virginia Commonwealth University

School of the Arts in Qatar

Position: Teaching & Research Faculty

Tenure: Ineligible

Rank: Assistant/Associate

Appointment length: 9-month faculty position

Salary: Commensurate with experience and training. Generous international benefits available.

Promotion: Eligible for promotion in academic rank

Department/Program: Interior Design

Location: Doha, Qatar

Position Begins: August 10, 2026

Review of Applications: Review of applications continues until position is filled. For best consideration, applications are due November 30, 2025.

The Opportunity

VCUarts Qatar seeks a faculty member to help shape the BFA in Interior Design through teaching, research/creative practice, and leadership in Design Technologies, encompassing areas such as AI-assisted or data-informed design, computational/parametric methods, or digital fabrication/prototyping. The position strengthens a studio-based, interdisciplinary culture that connects advanced workflows across digital and analogue media, engages visualization and mixed realities (AR/VR/XR), and links materials research to interior assemblies and spatial experience.

We are searching for faculty with a passion and potential to reshape design education to better address the evolving challenges facing the built environment. Candidates who can contribute across the breadth of the interior design curriculum with interests and demonstrable expertise in design technologies.

This position is part of a strategic effort to expand the program’s capacity to address the transformative impacts of emerging technologies on interior design education and the built environment. We welcome applicants whose work explores the application of novel technologies with real-world implications and solutions across scales (from material systems and construction methods to advanced workflows and adaptive environments) and who can articulate a clear agenda that advances curriculum, pedagogy, research, and the broader discourse of interior design.

There are generous benefits associated with this faculty appointment:

• Competitive international salary
• Tax protection for U.S. Taxpayers
• 30% Off-shore supplement
• Medical Insurance (100% employer funded premium and employer cost shared options available)
• Fully furnished villa or apartment including wireless internet
• Annual travel allowance to home of record (to include a spouse and dependents relocated to Qatar)
• Monthly transportation allowance
• Educational reimbursement for up to 4 dependent children enrolled in an accredited K-12 program
• International Professional Development and Research Opportunities
  
  

VCUarts Qatar:
VCUarts Qatar is the international branch campus of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts (VCUarts). Located in Richmond, Virginia, VCUarts (www.arts.vcu.edu) is a top-ranked public art school in the U.S. VCUarts Qatar was established in 1998 through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation and offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, or kinetic imaging; a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history; and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design. Located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, VCUarts Qatar is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The current student body represents a diverse range of nationalities with students coming from 34 countries.

VCUarts Qatar is dedicated to global outreach and education and provides students with an environment for cross-cultural exchange that fosters inquiry, discovery and innovation. Examples of this mission are the two significant international conferences hosted by VCUarts Qatar—the biennial design conference, Tasmeem and the biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art. VCUarts Qatar attracts globally recognized designers, artists and scholars while fostering partnerships within the region, and beyond, that enhance the educational, economic and cultural vitality of Qatar. Having established itself as a center of excellence for education and research, VCUarts Qatar has substantial involvement with the influential art and design world of the Middle East and is a catalyst for the growth and development of these fields in the region. VCUarts Qatar has over 120 full-time faculty and staff and a student body of over 300 students. VCUarts Qatar was the first campus established in Education City, a unique 2500-acre multiversity campus. VCUarts Qatar was joined by Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Carnegie-Mellon University, Texas A&M University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Northwestern University, and HEC Paris.

Qatar, with English as the standard second language, is a progressive country in the Arabian Gulf and remains one of the healthiest economies in the Gulf region. Doha offers all the conveniences found in a contemporary and cosmopolitan city, while honoring a rich tradition that is evident in the old markets and the city’s Islamic Arab architecture. Al-Wakrah Stadium, a venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, designed by the defunct deconstructivist architect Zaha Hadid was inaugurated in 2021. The National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel, opened in March 2019 while the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M.Pei opened in November 2008 and the Arab Museum of Modern Art (Mathaf) opened in 2010. The U.S. Embassy considers Qatar among the safest countries in the world for Americans.

BFA in Interior Design:

The Interior Design program is dedicated to transforming Qatar's creative landscape. The BFA in Interior Design is a studio-based, CIDA-accredited program. The pillars of the ID program at VCU have always been rooted in exploring our individual truths, creative depths, and the pursuit of excellence. Our focus on embedding global knowledge, local responsiveness, technological agility, and interdisciplinary collaboration will continue to define our approach to interior design education moving forward. Seeking narratives and designs that transcend aesthetics - creating living, breathing spaces that inspire, empower, include, advance, question, and nurture the collective human and non-human experience. By staying ahead of trends and continually adapting, the program seeks to remain at the forefront of design innovation, producing graduates who are versatile, resilient, adaptable, and deeply reflective of the complexities of today’s world. In doing so, we aim to empower young minds to redefine the boundaries of Interior Design and the Built Environment, one space at a time.

VCUarts:

Ranked by US News & World Report as a top five arts and design school, VCUarts (arts.vcu.edu) includes over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students with nationally recognized programs in design, visual and performing arts, and has an annual budget of $38 million and an endowment of more than $13.5 million. Students are taught by 180 full-time teaching and research faculty members and the school is supported by over 70 staff members that assist in daily processes. The school includes two campuses; one in Richmond and one in Doha, Qatar. The Richmond campus is located on the university’s 75-acre Monroe Park campus situated in the city’s historic Fan District. Ultimately, the work of the School of the Arts extends globally with partnerships throughout the world and across fields as diverse as the humanities, health care and business.

Major Responsibilities:

• Contribute to creating a dynamic and interdisciplinary studio-based environment for interior design practices that integrates advanced workflows across digital and analogue media; mentor students; conduct critiques/juries; and contribute to curriculum development
• Teach across the BFA in Interior Design, contributing expertise in design technologies (e.g., AI/data-driven workflows, computational design, digital fabrication/prototyping, digital/analogue media) and the ability to engage with one or more areas central to the discipline (e.g., building systems, professional practice, FF&E, lighting, human-centered design, or sustainability)
• Contribute to CIDA accreditation work (e.g., curriculum mapping, learning assessment, documentation, site-visit preparation).
• Engage beyond the Interior Design department as assigned (Art Foundation, other BFAs, MFA); participate in service to the institution and the creative/academic discipline
• Pursue research and/or creative work with national/international impact, such as research‑through‑making (e.g., prototypes, pavilions), scholarly dissemination, and/or externally funded projects
• Build/lead external partnerships & engage in collaborative relationships (e.g., industry, cultural/tech organizations, Education City partner universities, VCU Richmond) to co‑develop projects, support student opportunities, and expand research/knowledge exchange
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Terminal degree (MFA or PhD) in Interior Design
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.
• Effective university-level teaching experience across studio and lecture-based courses
• Strong communication, organizational, and project management skills, with a demonstrated commitment to mentorship, collaboration, and interdisciplinary engagement
• Expertise in at least one Design Technologies area with clear evidence of practice and pedagogy: (a) AI-assisted/data-driven design workflows, or (b) computational/parametric design and scripting, or (c) digital fabrication/prototyping
• Evidence of an active scholarly or creative practice (such as publications, exhibitions, built work, grants, or awards) with a well-defined research agenda and clear potential for dissemination, external funding, and contributions that extend the school’s and department’s expertise
• Knowledge of critical theory and contemporary discourse in interior/architectural/environmental design

Preferred Qualifications:

• Breadth across multiple Design Technologies and/or leadership in design-technology initiatives or pedagogy innovation
• Record of externally funded research (PI/Co-PI) and/or experience building labs/clusters or multi-partner projects
• Research-through-making, demonstrating end-to-end workflows, and translation of research to applied outcomes (e.g., prototypes, design/build, pavilions, knowledge transfer/entrepreneurship)
• Working fluency in a scripting/programming environment used in design technologies (e.g., Grasshopper scripting, Python, C#, Processing, JS or equivalents)
• Professional practice experience, with NCIDQ or other relevant credentials, is valued
• Familiarity with CIDA processes and/or prior accreditation participation.

Application Instructions:

To apply, please submit application materials via VCU Jobs Website at vcujobs.com

Only electronic applications will be accepted.

The following documents should be submitted:

• Letter of Interest, which conveys relevant academic and professional experience and describes experiences and/or professional service that inform a collaborative and community-engaged approach to teaching
• Current CV
• List of three current references including names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses (references will not be contacted prior to applicant’s approval)
• Portfolio of work— a link to appropriate selections of documentation of the applicant's experience in their area(s) of expertise. This could include traditional and/or non-traditional examples of one's work from a broad cross-section and/or combination of experience from a variety of roles.
• Portfolio of student work-- a link to appropriate selections of documentation of student work. This could include traditional and/or non-traditional examples from a broad cross-section and/or combination of student work from a variety of settings.

Questions about the application process should be directed to Kristin Brown, HR Administrator, at brownka@vcu.edu, School of the Arts HR.

Review of applications continues until position is filled. For best consideration, applications are due November 30, 2025.

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Restricted Position: No

ORP Eligible: Yes

Rank: Open

Tenure: Ineligible

Months: 9 months

Contact Name: VCUarts Human Resources

Contact Email: artshr@vcu.edu