The Wernick-Richman Visiting Professorship

The Design Program within the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at the George Washington University invites applications for the Wernick-Richman Visiting Professor. The one-year, full-time position—with responsibilities in teaching, research, and service—will begin as early as fall 2026.

The position offers an opportunity for the Visiting Professor to develop their teaching practice within a collaborative and interdisciplinary arts and design academic setting. They will teach courses for the BFA in Graphic Design and contribute to the launch of the BA in Design, a new interdisciplinary degree that explores the intersections of 2D, 3D, and 4D design practices. Teaching assignments will include classes in the foundations and core of the design curricula; the Visiting Professor also will teach an elective aligned with their area of creative research and expertise.

The Wernick-Richman Visiting Professorship is made possible through a provision of the Elissa Wernick and Great Neck Richman endowment to the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, a division of the GW Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. The award focuses on the elevation of entrepreneurial or professional practices in the arts and design.

Candidates will demonstrate familiarity with the commercial industries of contemporary graphic, interaction, and/or spatial design and/or have a history of critical engagement, through experience or scholarship, with approaches to or discourse related to the fields’ (changing) societal roles and valuation. The Visiting Professor will take an active role in stewarding the GW Corcoran Design Lab, the school’s semi-professional design studio, through which student-workers gain applied design experience through client-based commissions and projects.

In support of their creative research, the Visiting Professor will give a public presentation of their work through the GW Corcoran Research & Practice event series. And, they will have the option of developing an exhibition or installation for one of the GW Corcoran galleries.

Minimum qualifications
Applicants must have at the time of application:

–A BFA or MFA in a design field or a terminal degree in a related field from an accredited institution or a minimum of five years of professional experience;
–A creative practice and/or research interests that include a core focus on graphic or communication design with a combination of some of the following areas: print media, typography, publication design, brand identity, UI/UX, interaction design, data visualization, exhibition or spatial design, and/or related design practices;
–Experience with or scholarship around (alternative) design business, economics, politics, and/or professional practices;
–Some university-level teaching experience (or equivalent) with knowledge of current, emerging, and experimental topics in design education;
–Fluency in the analog and digital tools, technologies, and software of contemporary design production and instruction;
–Excellent interpersonal skills as evidenced through student work, teaching evaluations and/or professional recommendations.

Salary: 70,000 USD

Benefits: The successful candidate will have access to the full range of GW employee benefits including medical insurance. For more GW employee benefits information, see here.

Application Information: View the complete job description, including link to apply, here. Initial requirements include:

–A brief letter of interest. (Two pages)
–CV.
–Statement of creative and/or research interests and description of how the one-year Visiting Professorship will contribute. (Two pages)
–Portfolio of recent creative/scholarly work. (Ten pages)
–Teaching documentation (syllabi samples, student work, and/or teaching philosophy). (Five pages)
–Names and contact information of at least three references.

Review of applications will begin on June 5, 2026 and continue until the position is filled. Only complete applications will be considered.

The George Washington University is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Employment offers are contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a standard background screening.