Visiting Assistant Professor | Interior Design (Spatial Design)

Canadian University of Dubai; Dubai; On-site; AED 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic institution in Dubai is seeking a Visiting Assistant Professor in Interior Design. This role requires a PhD and a strong focus on research, teaching innovative courses, and mentoring students. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in research and pedagogy, ideally with a Canadian Education background. The job offers competitive benefits, including tax-free salary and housing allowance.

Benefits

Competitive tax-free salary

Generous academic annual leave

Housing & transportation allowance

International health insurance

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven ability to integrate critical theory and design practice.
• Ten years of experience teaching at undergraduate/postgraduate levels.
• Understanding of socio-cultural frameworks in interior design.

Responsibilities

• Teach design studios and lecture-based courses.
• Develop courses exploring historical and contemporary design.
• Guide students in speculative design projects.
• Contribute to research agenda through funded projects.
• Supervise undergraduate thesis projects.

Skills

Research excellence in Interior Design

Teaching experience

Curriculum innovation

Excellent communication skills

Education

PhD in Interior Design, Interior Architecture, or Spatial Design

Job description

Canadian University Dubai (CUD) is seeking a highly qualified Visiting Assistant Professor with a PhD in Interior Design or Spatial Design and a strong research profile addressing the evolution of the interior design discourse to join its growing team in the Department of Interior Design under the School of Architecture & Interior Design. The successful candidate will contribute to advancing the department’s pedagogical and research agenda by integrating critical, theoretical, and experimental approaches to the interior space.

The position requires a scholar capable of articulating and contextualizing contemporary interiors as platforms for social innovation, creative experimentation, and cultural transformation. The ideal candidate will engage with emerging paradigms of interiority—spanning spatial experience, material culture, digital environments, and human well‑being—and translate them into innovative teaching and research methodologies.

Candidates should demonstrate a proven record of academic or applied research projects, publications, and interdisciplinary collaborations within the field of Interior Design or closely related domains. A passion for mentoring students in speculative, research‑based design practice is essential, along with a commitment to fostering dialogue between design theory, technology, and societal change.

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCES

• PhD in Interior Design, Interior Architecture, or Spatial Design with a focus on the theoretical, historical or cultural evolution of interiors.
• Demonstrated record of research excellence evidenced through publications, exhibitions or funded projects in interior design or spatial studies.
• Proven ability to integrate critical theory and design practice, translating conceptual investigations into pedagogical and design outcomes.
• Ten years of experience teaching at the undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels, with evidence of curriculum innovation and student mentorship.
• An understanding of interiors as socio‑cultural frameworks for experimentation, inclusion and sustainability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

DESIRABLE ASSETS

• International experience and exposure to diverse design education systems.
• Experience in supervising graduate research or leading research clusters.
• Familiarity with digital, immersive or data‑driven approaches to interior design research.
• A collaborative attitude and a commitment to advancing the department’s speculative and research‑driven agenda.

Priority will be given to applicants with a Canadian Education background and/or Professional Practice in Canada.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Teach up to 12 credits per semester, including design studios and lecture‑based courses in interior design theory, criticism and advanced studio explorations.
• Develop and deliver courses that explore the historical and contemporary evolution of interior design thinking, connecting discourse to practice.
• Guide students in speculative design projects that investigate social innovation, inclusivity and emerging cultural narratives through interior design.
• Contribute to the department’s research agenda by initiating or participating in funded academic or applied research projects.
• Supervise undergraduate thesis projects and support the development of research‑informed design processes.
• Collaborate with faculty across disciplines to foster innovation and critical reflection within the School of Architecture and Interior Design.
• Participate in curriculum development, quality assurance and academic events (lectures, exhibitions, or conferences) promoting research‑led education.
• Represent the department in academic and professional networks to enhance its visibility and scholarly impact.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Competitive tax‑free salary
• Generous academic annual leave
• Housing & transportation allowance
• Annual flights for self, spouse, and dependent children
• International health insurance for self, spouse, and dependent children
• Life insurance
• Children’s education allowance
• Relocation/shipping allowance
• Professional development opportunities
• Full access to campus facilities
• Research and innovation funding support
• Paid sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, and other leave categories as applicable
• Working visa and residence permit in the UAE for self, spouse and dependent children

RESIDENCY AND VISA REGULATIONS

Employment at CUD is regulated by UAE labour law and must comply with the regulations of the national government. These regulations stipulate who is eligible for legal employment with regard to obtaining work permits and visas.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

CUD is committed to an inclusive and equitable academic community. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and celebrate diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. All appointments are made on the basis of merit and in accordance with UAE laws and University policies.

ABOUT CUD

Established in 2006, CUD is one of the most promising universities in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asian region, QS ranked in the top 2% of universities worldwide, #1 in Dubai, and 21st in the Arab Region according to the QS Arab Region Rankings 2025. Our expanded City Walk campus hosts state‑of‑the‑art amenities with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity. Combining all the essential elements of technology, the avant‑garde campus brings a new experience to students, featuring laboratories, research facilities, media studios, high‑tech classrooms, a multipurpose theatre, gymnasium, student centre, dining and entertainment options, and many more!

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN

With a faculty that contributes experience in practice and research in more than ten countries, the international makeup of the School of Architecture and Interior Design at CUD is unique in the UAE. The School brings together traditions and innovations from the east and the west, the north and the south, and seeks to provide the best of this broad cultural background in design, offering new views on the local context from a global perspective. CUD offers an environment where Canadian values of higher education meet creatively and complementarily with local culture and academic higher education regulations. The School understands architecture and interior design as manifestations of social and cultural life in space. It conceives architectural and interior design as creative processes that give spatial form to human values by organising material and environmental conditions in the urban context, and considers that architectural design creations must provide an inspiring enclosure for human activity and thinking to thrive. The School offers a five‑year Bachelor of Architecture, a four‑year Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, and a three‑term Master of Science in Design Innovation for the Circular Economy, while expanding its educational ecosystem to shape a more comprehensive design landscape.