Department Head and Associate Professor/Professor

Posting Title: Department Head and Associate Professor/Professor
Position number:27180/AJ231
Type: Tenured
Department: Interior Design
Faculty: Architecture
Posting start date: December 19, 2025
Posting close date: Applications considered on February 2, 2026
For more information please contact: Tara Vogelsang

The Faculty of Architecture invites applications for a five-year renewable term position as Head of the Department of Interior Design and a full-time tenured position at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, commencing July 1, 2026, or on a date mutually agreed upon.

We seek a colleague to serve as Interior Design Department Head who will provide supportive leadership in the development of pedagogy, curriculum, research, student recruitment, and faculty advancement, as well as interdisciplinary initiatives within the Faculty and the University. The Head fosters dialogue about studio teaching and historical, theoretical and technical education, and builds on the existing strengths of the Department. The Head further develops existing and forges new relationships with students, faculty, staff, community members, alumni, and professional bodies. Most critically, the Head guides the Department in responding to urgent issues such as climate change, environmental destruction, and human rights and social justice. The successful candidate will have teaching responsibilities in studio and/or core courses, carry out an independent research agenda, and perform University service.

Candidates must possess a professional or post-professional degree in interior design. A Ph.D. is desired but not required. The attainment of tenure is a prerequisite. Licensure or eligibility for licensure in the Professional Interior Designers Institute of Manitoba is preferred. The successful candidate will demonstrate experience in leadership and administration; prove excellence in creative design activities, research, and/or scholarship; and provide evidence of excellent teaching in design studio and another teaching area, sustained over a reasonable period of time. The candidate should demonstrate effective written, verbal and exemplary interpersonal communication skills. Salary and rank will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Interior design has been part of the University of Manitoba’s academic landscape since 1938, when it was offered as a diploma in Interior Decorating. A decade later, the program was restructured as a four-year Bachelor of Interior Design (BID), and in 1963, Interior Design became a founding department in the newly established Faculty of Architecture, reinforcing its interdisciplinary foundation. The program earned initial accreditation from the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER) in 1974 and maintained accredited status until the BID was phased out in 1999. A post-professional Master of Interior Design (MID) was introduced in 1994; and in 2000, the Faculty launched Canada’s first first-professional MID, receiving initial CIDA accreditation in 2002 and remaining fully accredited since.

The professional Interior Design program is fully accredited with the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). The Department of Interior Design is nested within the Faculty of Architecture which hosts three additional accredited graduate programs: Architecture (CACB), City Planning (CIP), and Landscape Architecture (LAAC), in addition to a four-year undergraduate degree in Environmental Design and the Ph.D. in Design and Planning. Research, teaching, and creative scholarship is augmented through facilities such as the FABLab, CADLab, Workshop, Architecture & Fine Arts Library, and the Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (CAST).

The Faculty of Architecture currently includes: 38 faculty members, 24 part-time instructional staff, 18 staff members, 290 undergraduate students and 190 graduate students. Our community also includes alumni, donors, university leaders, parents and friends of the University, and colleagues in the interior design and allied design, building and technology professions. The connections that exist between people and place encompass our passion for the school, the profession and for design as a whole – it is a recipe for building a resilient community that is prepared for future challenges.

The Faculty of Architecture is located in Winnipeg/Treaty One Territory. At the Faculty of Architecture, we are committed to fostering the development of the next generation of Indigenous leaders by providing an inclusive and supportive learning environment. We are interested in statements from candidates in how they can foster equity, diversity and inclusion within our pedagogical community. Additional information on the Faculty and Department is available at Faculty of Architecture University of Manitoba.

Additional information:
The University of Manitoba is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from women, racialized persons, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of all sexual and gender identities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

If you require accommodation supports during the recruitment process, please contact UM.Accommodation@umanitoba.ca or 204-474-7195. Please note this contact information is for accommodation reasons only.

Applications will be considered beginning February 2, 2026. Interviews of short-listed candidates will commence thereafter. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applicants are invited to submit the following materials:
• cover letter referencing position #27180 AJ231, including a statement of interest, expertise, and leadership philosophy
• curriculum vitae
• dossier including samples of teaching and scholarly research
• names, contact information, and relationship of three references.

Application materials, including letters of reference, will be handled in accordance with the protection of privacy provisions of The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (Manitoba). Please note that application materials (as a single pdf file) will be shared with participating members of the search process. Please forward complete applications to:

Mimi Locher, Chair
Department of Interior Design Head Search Advisory Committee
c/o Tara Vogelsang
Faculty of Architecture
201 John A. Russell Building
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada
email: Tara.Vogelsang@umanitoba.ca

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