Description

Job Description

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Tulane University School of Architecture and Built Environment (TuSABE) invites applications for a Research Assistant Professor (RAP) position affiliated with the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism (CCU) beginning Fall 2026 through Spring 2027. The position is designed to mentor an early career academic and researcher whose presence will advance the research mission of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism while contributing to the broader academic community at TuSABE.

This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to interdisciplinary research addressing critical climate challenges through design-based interventions at multiple scales. The RAP will assist in planning and executing a symposium on Material Strategies for Climate Adaptation planned for January 2027, and will co-edit a related edited volume. Additional responsibilities include contributing to the CCU's research and programmatic activities.

ABOUT THE CENTER ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND URBANISM

The mission of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism within the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Tulane University is to advance a more holistic understanding of the role of the built environment in causing, mitigating, and adapting to climate change.

Through multidisciplinary research, CCU is tasked with providing and translating new forms of knowledge to support public, private, and civic sector stakeholders in their stewardship of the built environment. Through design studios, courses, applied research, and the dissemination of pedagogical innovations, CCU is invested in the education of the next generation of built environment professionals who are tasked with addressing climate change in all aspects of design, planning, management, and preservation.

By balancing normative design research with scientific and social scientific methodologies, CCU offers a unique platform for testing, experimenting, prototyping, validating, and communicating the opportunities for a more ethically responsible, socially just, ecologically sensitive, and environmentally sustainable future. With a geographic focus on North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean, CCU is centered on advancing teaching and research on the cutting-edge of climate change scholarship and practice.

ABOUT THE TULANE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND TULANE UNIVERSITY

The Tulane University School of Architecture and Built Environment provides global leadership through excellence in design, research, and practice in the built environment. The School includes undergraduate and graduate Architecture programs and several other allied programs and degree paths. Faculty members teach coursework and collaborate as appropriate to their expertise across the School's programs including Architecture (B.Arch, BSA, M.Arch and M.S.ARC), Landscape Architecture and Engineering (MLA-MS RCSE), Real Estate Development (BSRE, MSRED), Historic Preservation (MSHP), Design (BADes), Sustainable Urbanism (BS SURB), Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (Undergraduate Minor), and Climate Change: Science and Practice (Undergraduate Minor). Other schools, programs, and centers at the University provide ample opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

The School is recognized for robust initiatives in community-engaged design (The Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design), design-build (URBANbuild), interdisciplinary research studios, and research initiatives supported by the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism. Over the past five years, the School has experienced significant growth across all its programs, and in spring 2025, the School returned to its newly renovated home, Richardson Memorial Hall, complete with new studios, fabrication shops, classrooms, exhibition space, and offices. Located in New Orleans, Tulane University is a tier-one research university in the United States and a member of the selected group of top research universities integrated in the Association of American Universities (AAU). Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment is an innovator at multiple scales, from materials to buildings to neighborhoods and from urban landscapes to regional planning.

The City of New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta are our natural domains of research, with the social and ecological challenges of this complex region at the forefront of contemporary discourses in global rural and urbanized territories, cities, and towns. The city's culture and community is steeped in a long history of action and exchange. The University has firm commitments to build a welcoming community and foster opportunity, goals which the School pursues in multiple ways through curriculum, research, and practice. We are dedicated to serving society and to climate action, charting a path for climate change education across each of our representative programs, and recognizing that social equity and climate are interconnected phenomena that demand new approaches to the built and unbuilt environments.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To be considered for the position, please submit the following documentation in PDF format through Tulane's Academic Positions website:

• Current curriculum vitae (CV)

• Letter of Interest describing your research objectives and relevance to broader issues of climate change/adaptation/mitigation

• Sample work or portfolio of research and/or creative work (20 pages max.)

• Contact information for three (3) references. Only candidates who reach the final stage of the interview process will have their references contacted.

Review of applications will begin on 1 July 2026 and will continue until the position is filled. If applicants have questions or need assistance in completing the application, please email Adam Marcus at [email protected].

*Please follow the application website guidelines for maximum upload file size

Responsibilities

CONTRACT AND COMPENSATION

• Duration: One academic year beginning in August 2026 through June 2027, with the opportunity to extend for one additional academic year.
• Compensation: $70,000 annual salary + benefits
• Effort Distribution: 70% Research / 30% Program Administration (see descriptions below)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Research (70%)

Research activities will be defined by the CCU Research Director and will support the mission of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism. Through this position, the RAP will develop and deepen expertise in design research, including:

• Support planning and execution of symposium on Material Strategies for Climate Adaptation, to be held in January 2027.

• Serve as co-editor of the edited volume to be published following the symposium. Serve as primary point-person for book layout, graphic design, logistics, and communication with contributing authors, with the support of Graduate Research Assistant(s).

• Work with CCU Research Director to conduct research on advanced materials and fabrication techniques linked to ecological and environmental performance. Work to include design research, digital modeling, digital fabrication, drawing and data-driven diagramming, graphic and written synthesis of research outputs.

Program Administration (30%)

• Provide programmatic support for the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism.

• Serve as editor and primary point-person for CCU publication on TuSABE's climate-related academic studio and research work.

• Participate in studio reviews for CCU-related studios and coursework.

• Contribute to ongoing development and future direction of the CCU through assisting in grant applications.

Optional / Additional

• Additional teaching opportunities available at the adjunct rate (to be overseen by Architecture Program Director)

MENTORSHIP AND EVALUATION

This position reports directly to CCU Research Director Adam Marcus. The RAP will work under Prof. Marcus's guidance and direction to support his and the CCU's research agenda, with the symposium and book project as the primary focus. The RAP will work with the full CCU team, including CCU Director and Managing Director.

Success in this position will be measured by:

• Ability to meet deadlines set by Research Director

• Quality and timeliness of organizational support for the symposium and editorial support for the book project

• Adherence to established project guidelines and research frameworks

• Professional responsiveness and collaboration with the Research Director and broader CCU team

• Successful completion of administrative tasks that support CCU's larger

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates should hold a terminal degree in architecture (Master of Architecture) or an equivalent graduate professional degree, or a doctorate/Ph.D. in architecture or a related field. Recent graduates are especially encouraged to apply. The position is intended for early-career academics.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Demonstrated research interest in the built environment's role in climate change, climate adaptation, and/or climate mitigation, especially through the lens of material performance.

• Experience in design research, writing, visual communication, and graphic design. Software experience with InDesign, Adobe Suite, and Rhino.

• Experience and fluency with applied material research, such as biomaterials, computational-physical workflows, digital/robotic fabrication, and/or additive manufacturing.

• Commitment to interdisciplinary research and pedagogy.

• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills.

About Us

Tulane University is an equal opportunity educator and employer committed to providing an education and employment environment free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Legally protected demographic classifications (such as a person's race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, shared ancestry, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws) are not relied upon as an eligibility, selection or participation criteria for Tulane's employment or educational programs or activities.

Tulane University is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing an application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the Office of Human Resources by phone at 504-865-4748 or by email at [email protected].