University Professor in Design Studies

The University of Art Braunschweig (HBK Braunschweig) is establishing a new institute specialising in design, and is looking to appoint a University Professor in Design Studies (salary scale: W3) from April 1, 2027. Application deadline is March 15, 2026.

This is a permanent appointment. The successful applicant will be appointed as a civil servant in accordance with German civil service regulations, if applicable, or otherwise as an employee.
HBK Braunschweig is an internationally orientated university specialising in the arts that is entitled to award doctoral degrees and grant “Habilitationen” (professorial qualifications). With around 1,000 students enrolled in the fields of Fine Arts, Art Education, Performing Arts, Design and Design Studies, Visual Communication, Art Studies and Media Studies, HBK Braunschweig is among the major universities of the arts in Germany.

HBK Braunschweig is embarking on a comprehensive restructure of its design departments. Alongside the establishment of a new faculty and the appointment of several new professors, the existing degree programmes in this area are undergoing redevelopment. This process is largely based on the profound change in the concept of design brought about by the impending ecological and social transformation.

Tasks and responsibilities
The focus of the new professorship in Design Studies is the analytical investigation of design as product, process and medium (including its functional aspects) in its cultural and societal environment. The appointee will be tasked with equipping students with the academic and theoretical foundations they need to engage with the concept and practice of design, and will implement a culture of research through design. They will make an ongoing contribution to the development of the theory of design, especially in the areas of product and communication design. They will consider the history, culture and mediality of design, with an especial interest in its development and positioning within current understandings of the discipline. This will include an analysis of the material culture of artefacts along with the foundations of semiotic theory, to enable an understanding of aesthetic, especially visual, signifiers. The role will further include considerations of the history of design as an academic discipline, the development of various fields and tools of design and how these have changed over time and the place of design within society as a whole.

Teaching and research will thus mainly be in the areas of design theory, design processes and design history. Ideally, the new professor will also engage with the question of how design is taught as a school subject, e.g., in secondary schools, especially in terms of product language and design thinking.

For more information, including on requirements and application documents, please refer to hbk-bs.de.