Assistant Professor Knowlton School / Landscape Architecture
College of Engineering
The Landscape Architecture Section of the Ohio State University’s Knowlton School invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor. Located in one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the US, the landscape architecture program pursues urban pasts, presents, and futures through highly engaged, design-centered, and future-oriented curricula while fostering individual research trajectories. To join us in that pursuit, we seek a colleague whose research and creative practice explore emerging technologies and their implications for landscape architecture, with particular interest in work engaging urban environments and ecologies.
This position will start as early as August of 2027.
Position Overview
The Knowlton School is a tenure-initiating unit within the College of Engineering housing sections in architecture, landscape architecture, and city and regional planning. With 45 faculty members, 750 students, and 15 staff members, the Knowlton School forms a distinct community that fosters inquiry and exchange across sections, the college, and the university, as well as Ohio and Midwestern communities at large. Cross-disciplinary teaching and research are highly valued, and innovation is encouraged.
Founded by the eminent modernist AD Taylor in 1915, the Landscape Architecture section at Knowlton is one of the oldest landscape architecture programs in the US. Our faculty currently comprises thirteen full-time collegial and collaborative scholars dedicated to advancing the work, disciplinary questions, and practice of landscape architecture. We offer fully accredited degrees at both the graduate (master's) and undergraduate level with roughly 30 students in the graduate program and 120 in the undergraduate program.
The Landscape Architecture section is also home to the Midwest Landscape Lab, a research platform supporting collaborative, place-based inquiry into the ecological, material, and cultural futures of Midwestern landscapes. The Lab offers opportunities to extend research in emerging technologies through interdisciplinary collaboration, applied research, and engagement with the region’s landscapes and communities.
For this tenure-track assistant professor-level position, we seek a colleague whose research and creative practice advance the role of emerging technologies in landscape architecture, with a particular interest in work that engages urban environments and ecologies. Scholarship may take the form of research, applied research, creative practice, professional work, or hybrid forms of inquiry and dissemination. We are particularly interested in candidates whose work expands the methods and media through which landscape architecture is researched, represented, designed, and constructed.
This is a full-time position. The selected candidate will be expected to teach a standard portfolio of 2 courses per academic semester (4 courses per academic year) at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Teaching is a respected and highly valued component of a tenure-track position, and prior teaching experience in your area of expertise is highly desirable. The selected candidate will also be expected to contribute to student mentoring and development. This hire will have the opportunity to reshape parts of the undergraduate and graduate curricula and is expected to bring their research agenda to bear on significant portions of their teaching. The section and school value collaboration and team teaching, and welcome collaborative development of new courses within the section or across the school, college, or university.
Tenure-track Assistant Professors are expected to develop a significant body of work around their area of scholarship. At Ohio State, externally recognized creative and professional scholarship is acknowledged alongside peer-reviewed publication as a legitimate path toward tenure. As a section and school, we highly value collaboration, and you will find a community willing to collaborate on grants and projects. Ample mentoring opportunities exist within the section, school, and college of engineering, and successful candidates will be expected and encouraged to tap the abundant resources offered by one of the largest R1 universities in the US.
All tenure-track faculty are expected to serve at the section, school, and college levels, and service is essential for promotion.
Immigration/visa sponsorship may be available in very limited situations, but all decisions concerning immigration/visa sponsorship will depend on an evaluation of complexity and risk. We will not engage in immigration sponsorship for this position for individuals subject to the J-1 two-year home residency requirement or who will require consular processing for a visa to come to the United States to begin work at the university.
Performance Objectives:
Time within this position is split 60% teaching, 30% research, and 10% service
The successful candidate will teach four courses per academic year divided between Fall and Spring Semesters. Typically, two courses per semester, with course leave and buyouts possible for special projects or opportunities at the discretion of the section-head and director. Demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring is a crucial component of tenure at Ohio State.
Tenure-track faculty are expected to develop a significant, recognized body of scholarship during their probationary period.
As a tenure-track position, mandatory tenure reviews will be conducted at the 4th year and 6th year.
The awarding of tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor is based upon clear and convincing evidence that the candidate has provided and will continue to provide high-quality teaching, scholarship, and service relevant to the mission of the school.
Education and Experience Requirements:
Required:
A terminal degree in landscape architecture (master’s) or in a closely allied discipline.
Evidence of (or potential for) the ability to teach Landscape Architectural courses at both the Graduate and Undergraduate levels.
Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are required, with a focus on working constructively, decisively, and collegially with both external and internal colleagues and interdisciplinary teams.
Independence and Initiative: We value individuals who can work independently and are proactive self-starters with strong project leadership skills.
Innovative Thinking: The candidate should be open to sharing ideas, continuously learning, and displaying innovative thinking, and contributing to the forward trajectory of the discipline.
Desired:
Significant professional experience in Landscape Architecture.
An established record of professional practice and/or scholarship around emerging technologies for landscape documentation, assessment, design delivery, or projective modeling. Our ideal candidate can develop a research trajectory around what emerging technologies mean for landscape architecture.
Evidence of an ability to teach emerging technologies. We are looking for someone who can help our students see what emerging technologies mean for landscape architecture.
Evidence of the ability to mentor students both academically and toward professional goals.
Evidence of the capacity for significant institutional service.
As a small faculty, we desire a colleague with the ability to work collaboratively within a team structure and toward shared goals.
Additional Information
The final offer for this position will be determined based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience. Salary and start-up packages are negotiated by the director and may vary depending on individual circumstances.
Ohio State provides access to a depth and breadth of opportunities and resources. Starting your first day, Ohio State offers you a comprehensive benefits package.
How to Apply
Please be aware that you will not be able to edit your application after you submit it (this includes application materials).
Please include all and only the following required application materials in the Application Documents section:
Cover Letter: 1-2 page letter, which should include a brief summary of your academic background and why you are interested in this opportunity.
CV (Curriculum Vitae)/Resume (do not include pictures in your CV/resume): Detailed overview of your scholarly and/or professional experience, including your educational background, research experience, teaching and mentoring experience, service, funding, and publications/projects. Please list your home and e-mail addresses.
Portfolio. A no more than 20-page design portfolio that includes:
Evidence of projects built or unbuilt that you have led or been a significant contributor to.
A description of your role on those projects.
If possible, evidence of design teaching such as student projects for which you were a primary advisor, instructor, or mentor.
Teaching + Mentoring Statement. Write a 1-2 page, single-spaced narrative that includes:
A description of any previous teaching and/or mentoring experiences.
A description of teaching strategies or approaches that you have experienced, for which you received training, or which you have implemented, and a reflection on their outcomes.
Your idea of how to achieve an effective learning environment for all students regardless of their backgrounds, expectations, and needs.
A statement of mentoring skills you consider fundamental, including those necessary to effectively mentor students from any cultural background.
Research Statement. Write a 1-2 page, single-spaced narrative that includes:
Your research questions and their importance; how your research contributes to Landscape Architecture
Research plan and future research directions
Identification of potential collaborations at Ohio State and beyond, and potential funding sources
Broader impacts of your research (the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes)
A statement of how you plan to engage students in your research program.
Please do not include a list of references with your application. We will request this information from candidates who have advanced to the final stages of the search.
Please apply at the link: apply.interfolio.com/194307
For questions regarding this position, please contact Search Committee Chair Jake Boswell at 614-688-4586 / boswell.33@osu.edu.
Application review:
Review of applications will begin on October, 15th, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled.
The Landscape Architecture Section
The Landscape Architecture Section at the Knowlton School supports individual student development through a rigorous, hands-on design curriculum that encourages critical, conceptual, and technical design thinking. For more than 100 years, Knowlton Landscape Architecture has bridged practice and research by embracing Ohio State’s land-grant mission and enabling students to imagine new landscapes, the systems that feed them, and the human and non-human communities that seek to thrive within them. We aim to prepare students to challenge how and why our environments are shaped, and to see design as an important tool for advocating for more inclusive, just, and resilient landscapes.
The College of Engineering
Ohio State's College of Engineering and Knowlton School strive to foster a learning culture that prepares students to be key contributors to society through their technological, professional and personal skills. Our faculty and our students thrive in an environment of new ideas and concepts that expand the understanding of science, engineering and architecture.
In addition to being an innovative leader in engineering and architecture education, we endeavor to fulfill our university's land-grant mission of advancing Ohio's economic mobility, competitiveness and standard of living through our contributions toward technology and creativity, continuous improvement, a well-prepared workforce and lifelong learning.
Faculty Development: The Ohio State University and the College of Engineering are committed to support and develop faculty as well as the work-life balance of its faculty. These resources include The Engineering Faculty Mentoring Program, the Better Research through Better Mentoring program, and an institutional membership to the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning. To learn more visit: https://engineering.osu.edu/faculty-development.Learn more about the College of Engineering, the university and Columbus here.
The University
Ohio State is a top-20 public university, and its Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is one of America’s leading academic health centers. Eligible Ohio State employees receive comprehensive benefits packages, including medical, dental and vision insurance, tuition assistance for employees and their dependents, and state or alternative retirement options with competitive employer contributions.
Grounded in Ohio State University’s Shared Values, our university community welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration and courageous thinking, and upholds freedom of expression. Ohio State promotes a culture of work-life balance through institutionalized policies, programs, and resources that help faculty, staff, and their families thrive both professionally and personally.
Ohio State is a dynamic community where opportunity thrives, and individuals transform themselves and their world. Positions are available in countless fields and specialties. Become a Buckeye and contribute to an incredible legacy that serves to guide our future and shape a better tomorrow.
Located in Ohio’s capital city, Ohio State’s Columbus campus is near the center of a rapidly growing and vibrant metropolitan area with a population of over 1.5 million. The area offers a wide range of affordable housing, many cultural and recreational opportunities, excellent schools, and a strong economy based on government as well as service, transportation, and technology industries. Additional information about the Columbus area is available here. Beyond its Columbus campus, Ohio State has four regional campuses including Ohio State Lima, Ohio State Mansfield, Ohio State Marion, and Ohio State Newark, in addition to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Wooster Campus, which houses Ohio State ATI.
The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.
Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. Additionally, there may be further requirements specific to the college or unit, which could include drug and health screenings, as well as faculty misconduct checks depending on the rank of the position. |
