Research Assistant Professor in Design Entrepreneurship / User Experience Design

School of Design

(Ref. 251027004)

The School of Design, as a leading and transdisciplinary design school, is at the forefront of nurturing responsible, open-minded, creative talents and active learners; contributing to innovation in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland while maintaining a global perspective. As one of the top design schools in the world, its highly diverse design expertise widely includes Product Design, Interactive Design, Information Design, Advertising Design, Media Design, Interior and Environmental Design, Social Innovation Design, Service Innovation Design, Urban Design, Business Innovation Design, Intelligent Systems Design, Intelligent Services Design and Multimedia Entertainment Technology.  The School’s research and consultancy work are of an applied nature relevant to industrial, commercial and community needs. It is ranked 22nd  by the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 for Art and Design, ranking among the top institutions in Asia.  The School is based in a Zaha Hadid building well-equipped for innovative research and creative learning on the university campus.  Please visit the website at https://www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/en/  for more information about the School.

The Design discipline at the School takes a sustainable and humanistic approach which also aims to expand the scope of traditional design into the sociotechnical realms.  The three conceptual pillars constitute: (a) Social Design - collaborative design with communities and the public sectors to improve living conditions through critical, systemic and participatory approaches; (b) Design Economies - entrepreneurial design that enhances service innovation and value creation in the private sector; and (c) Design Making - human-centered and hands-on design investigations in labs and with communities, in the practices of making and prototyping via socio-technical means.  They are identified as the three flagship themes to consolidate the research focus and emerging pedagogies in the School.

Duties 

The appointees will be required to: 

(a)    conduct research as the main duty and actively pursue external research grants, such as General Research Fund, as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator; 

(b)    conduct research that leads to publications in refereed journals, or a body of design work which leads to outputs contributing to the knowledge and teaching of the design disciplines; 

(c)    provide quality teaching at undergraduate or postgraduate level; 

(d)    contribute to departmental service; and

(e)    perform any other duties as assigned by the Dean of School or his delegates.

Qualifications 

Applicants should: 

(a)    have a PhD degree in a related discipline; 

(b)    preferably have at least two years of postdoctoral research experience;

(c)    have demonstrated promise of a high level of creative ability in research and teaching in some subdivisions of his/her field;

(d)    be able to demonstrate effective classroom teaching skills; and

(e)    be highly proficient in written and spoken English.

Preference will be given to those with experience in writing research proposals.

Applicants are required to submit (a) a letter of application declaring a focus area of expertise; (b) an updated curriculum vitae; and (c) a one-page statement of research explaining specially how to collaborate with other disciplines.

Conditions of Service

A highly competitive package including a medical benefits plan and a gratuity payable upon completion of the term which is normally for two to three years initially, with possibility of extension.

Consideration of applications will commence on 28 November 2025 until the positions are filled. 

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Posting date: 27 October 2025