Associate Professor in LAEP & Associate Director of NLI

Posting Number: PG194985EP | Location: Raleigh, NC | Department: Landscape Architecture | Position Type: Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty | Appointment: 9 Month | FTE: 1.0

About the Department

The Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning at NC State University is a nationally recognized leader in landscape architecture education, with a strong track record of ASLA national recognition—including 12 national student awards since 2020 and, most recently, a 2026 Honor Award in Urban Design for the Tlatelolco, Mexico City study on environmental and cultural resilience. Housed within a STEM-designated, LAAB-accredited MLA program, LAEP integrates design, ecology, and environmental planning from a global, cross-contextual, and cross-cultural perspective, addressing environmental stewardship amid rapid urbanization. Faculty study and design landscapes across both international and regional territories, leading international workshops on urban design, habitat protection, and coastal resilience, and advancing this work through distinctive labs: The Just Lab, connecting landscape practice with African and Indigenous communities and the ancestral ties linking North Carolina to the African continent; the Natural Learning Initiative, creating nature-based environments to support healthy child development and community well-being in diverse and disadvantaged communities; and the Coastal Dynamics Design Lab, addressing coastal resilience through applied design along the North Carolina coast.

The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI, founded in January 2000) is an interdisciplinary, cross-sector research, education, design programming, and communications lab at the College of Design, NC State University. NLI aims to create state-of-the-art environments that support healthy human development and a healthy biosphere by engaging children and families with nature in the spaces of daily life, particularly in disadvantaged, diverse communities. To achieve this goal, NLI tracks trends, research findings, and emerging approaches and disseminates information to guide innovative, nature-based design solutions, combined with education programs and public events such as design institutes, conferences, and distance education courses. The NLI team designs and implements original research studies and post-occupancy evaluations, producing findings that inform guidelines, toolkits, publications, and media disseminated via NLI's website, YouTube channel, and downloadable resources.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Programs
• Disability Plans
• Life Insurance
• Accident Plan
• Paid Time Off and Other Leave Programs
• 12 Holidays Each Year
• Tuition and Academic Assistance
• Childcare benefits
• Wellness & Recreation Membership
• Wellness Programs

Perks and Benefit eligibility is based on Part-Time or Full-Time Employment status.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will hold a full-time tenure-track/tenured Associate Professor position in a 9-month faculty appointment, with a 50/50 split between the LAEP department and the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI). The LAEP Department Head will evaluate teaching and departmental service, while the Associate Dean of Research will oversee NLI responsibilities.

LAEP Associate Professor Duties (50% Effort)

• Teaching (30%): Teach one studio and one seminar/lecture course per academic year. Ability to teach design studios across scales in the MLA curriculum and address LAAB accreditation professional criteria. Courses may include research methods, landscape architecture history, urban theory, digital media, grading, or construction technology.
• Service and Governance (20%): Contribute to standard departmental committees, participate in accreditation (LAAB), advise LAEP students, and act as a full member of the LAEP Department Voting Faculty (DVF).

NLI Duties (50% Effort)

• Research & Grants: Act as PI/Co-PI to identify and secure competitive extramural funding through grants, contracts, and sponsorships.
• Mentorship & Partnerships: Advise doctoral students whose research aligns with NLI focus areas, while building and sustaining external partnerships, including Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Technical Assistance (TA) States.

Duties as NLI Associate Director (Administrative Supplement)

• Program & Staff Management: Oversee and continue expanding NLI certificate programs, and manage dedicated NLI staff to ensure smooth daily operations.
• Supervisory duties: Direct supervision and management of dedicated NLI staff, as well as supervision of NLI student assistants.

Other Responsibilities

• Maintain recruitment, training, mentoring, and retention of student assistance from LAEP, other design disciplines, and elsewhere on campus.
• Fulfill Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) expectations, which will be equitably weighted in the Statement of Faculty Responsibilities (SFR).

Qualifications

Minimum Education and Experience

• A professional degree in Landscape Architecture or a closely related design discipline.
• Demonstrated experience teaching design studios across scales and courses that support LAAB accreditation professional criteria (e.g., research methods, landscape history, urban theory, grading).
• Demonstrated success in teaching and mentoring students at the graduate level.
• Hold a doctoral degree in a field related to NLI focus areas, preferably environment and behavior.
• A focus on environmental and behavior with knowledge of children and family environments.
• A proven record of obtaining competitive extramural funding.
• Evidence of academic impact, including an established record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Prior academic leadership and administrative experience.

Other Required Qualifications

• Ability to teach in a studio setting
• Ability to apply current NLI research tools and measures
• Ability to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration
• Demonstrated success in managing projects and/or multidisciplinary teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Hold a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) degree.
• Experience as an instructor, practitioner, and researcher.
• Prior academic leadership and administrative experience, including the duration of that experience.

Schedule

Work schedule varies depending on project timelines and semester schedules. Evenings/weekends may be needed occasionally.

Licenses & Certifications

• Valid NC Driver's License required
• Commercial Driver's License not required