Entry Level Human Centered Design Jobs in Worcester, MA

Job Description Summary

Applications are welcome from candidates who will hold a Ph.D. by the start date and are seeking appointment at the assistant professor level, including early-career scholars and current assistant professors whose research and teaching align strongly with the department's strengths in experience design (XD), user experience (UX), human-centered design, human-computer interaction (HCI), human factors, information design, and emerging technologies as they relate to human-centered design.

The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching in XD and Human Factors in Information Design (HFID), with highest priority placed on the ability or clear potential to teach design-focused courses in interaction design, prototyping, and studio-based experience design, and additional value placed on the ability to teach practice oriented research courses. Across both design and research courses, the department values theoretical grounding in perception, cognition, behavioral science, engineering psychology, and human factors, as well as clear application to experience design practice.

Strong candidates will be able to bridge research and practice, producing impactful scholarship while preparing students to address contemporary experience design and human-centered technology challenges in professional settings. We welcome qualified candidates whose paths connect academic research, professional practice, and industry experience.

Bentley is committed to the teacher-scholar model where teaching, scholarship, service and community engagement are expected and valued. We seek qualified faculty who represent diverse backgrounds, interests and talents and share a commitment to high ethical standards and a willingness to embrace challenge and change.

About the Experience Design Department:

The Experience Design (XD) Department is a collaborative, interdisciplinary academic home for faculty whose work connects design, human factors, user experience, human-centered technology, behavioral science, and business. The department prepares undergraduate and graduate students to design products, services, systems, interfaces, environments, and experiences that are useful, usable, responsible, and valuable for people, organizations, and society.

XD at Bentley spans nearly 30 years of undergraduate, master's, and doctoral education through the XD undergraduate degree program, the Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design (M.S. HFID) program, and the experience design track within Bentley's Executive Ph.D. in Business program. This portfolio of programs creates opportunities for faculty to teach across levels, mentor student research and applied projects, and contribute to the continued development of experience design within a business university environment.

The department's work also aligns with Bentley's growing emphasis on technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, including the reimagined Adamian Academic Center, User Experience Center, and planned spaces such as the Futures Lab and Build Lab. These initiatives create opportunities for high-visibility student engagement, immersive learning, prototyping, emerging technologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

XD faculty connect teaching, scholarship, professional practice, and external engagement through applied courses, sponsored projects, research collaborations, consulting engagements, and partnerships with organizations across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. The majority of HFID students are preparing for professional careers as practitioners in UX, experience design, product and service design, human factors, and related fields. Across programs, students often work with ambiguous, real-world problems and translate design methods, research insights, and stakeholder needs into actionable recommendations, prototypes, design strategies, and evidence-based design decisions.

About Bentley and the Area:

Bentley University, located in suburban Boston, is an AACSB and NECHE accredited institution that enrolls approximately 5,500 students at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Bentley is ranked at or near the top in several categories by US News & World Report, including Best Regional Universities North and Most Innovative Schools, with Bloomberg ranking Bentley in the top 20 undergraduate business programs. Bentley's high graduation and retention rates and top-ranked Pulsifer Career Center reflect a commitment to student success and inclusiveness. With a strong faculty of teacher-scholars, Bentley strives to be a "Force for Good" through the integration of business with the arts and sciences, and a strong emphasis on ethics and social responsibility. Providing a stimulating academic community for faculty, staff, and students, Bentley supports its faculty as they pursue cutting-edge research and bring their expertise and real world understanding into the classroom.

Minimum Qualifications:

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a field relevant to the theory and practice of experience design, or be scheduled to complete their Ph.D. by September 1, 2027.

• Teaching potential or experience relevant to design-focused, studio-based, and/or practice-oriented research courses in experience design.

• Scholarly, applied research, or practice-based research agenda connected to experience design practice.

• Service potential or experience appropriate to career stage.

Relevant fields may include HCI, human factors, psychology, cognitive science, sociology, anthropology, computer science, engineering, design, design research, or other related fields, provided the candidate's work has a clear connection to the theory and practice of experience design, UX, or human-centered design.

For teaching and scholarship, evidence may include potential for, or a record of, effective teaching, student mentoring, scholarly publication, applied research, practice-based research, or related work appropriate to career stage.

Preferred Qualifications:

We do not expect candidates to meet all preferred qualifications. Strong candidates may demonstrate fit through varying combinations of teaching, research, applied collaboration, and professional engagement.

• Teaching expertise or experience in one or more areas such as visual design, prototyping, interaction design, applied design studios, making, UX/HCI, human factors, design research, usability and evaluation, design strategy, product design, service design, systems design, service learning, sponsored projects, or community engaged projects.

• Research expertise in one or more areas such as applied HCI research, design methods research, UX research, usability and human factors studies, participatory or co-design, accessibility and inclusive design, systems design, systemic design, transition design, human-centered AI, responsible innovation, evidence-based design, design pedagogy, or professional design scholarship.

• Professional industry experience is valued but not required, and we welcome candidates whose paths connect industry, applied practice, and academic work.

• Candidates may demonstrate practice relevance through applied research collaborations, sponsored projects, consulting, community-engaged design, practitioner partnerships, translational research, evidence-based design work, or scholarship that informs experience design practice, industry-relevant problem solving, and real-world impact.

• We are especially interested in candidates whose teaching, scholarship, or applied projects could contribute to high-visibility student engagement work involving prototyping, making, emerging technologies, community-oriented collaborations, and campus-based innovation spaces.

• Ability or clear potential to contribute to the continued growth, visibility, and impact of experience design within a business university environment, including collaboration, curriculum development, graduate mentoring, external partnership, or program-building over time.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, candidates should submit all five required application components by October 15, 2026; review of applications will begin shortly thereafter and continue until the position is filled:

• An up-to-date curriculum vitae.

• A Letter of Interest describing the candidate's fit with the Experience Design Department, including relevant teaching areas, research agenda, applied or industry experience where relevant, and connections between the candidate's work and experience design practice.

• A Teaching Statement describing the candidate's approach to teaching and mentoring.

• A Research Statement describing the candidate's scholarly trajectory and current and future research agenda.

• Names and contact information for three academic or professional references. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

Candidates are expected to submit materials that accurately represent their own experience, accomplishments, teaching approach, and research agenda. If generative AI or other tools are used in preparing application materials, candidates remain responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and authenticity of the final submission.

The Teaching Statement should address: (1) areas the candidate is prepared to teach or develop, especially design-focused and practice-oriented research courses; (2) evidence of teaching potential or effectiveness, which may include independent teaching, teaching assistant experience, curriculum development, applied research mentoring, studio or project based learning, industry-engaged teaching, or mentoring of professional or graduate students; and (3) prior or planned approaches to inclusive, accessible, and ethical design education.

The Research Statement should address: (1) key research questions, methods, and contributions; (2) evidence of research productivity, which may include scholarly publications, work under review, conference papers, abstracts, posters, proceedings, design or research artifacts, or other research outputs; and (3) connections between the candidate's work and experience design, UX, human-centered design, HCI, human factors, or related areas.

The search committee may request additional materials at a later stage, such as selected publications, design or research artifacts, teaching materials, a portfolio, or evidence of teaching effectiveness.

For additional information about this position, please email Jonathan Ericson, Associate Professor and Chair, Dept. of Experience Design, Bentley University (jericson@bentley.edu).

Pay Transparency:

At Bentley we offer a "total rewards" package designed to attract, motivate, retain, and reward our employees. This includes competitive compensation, robust benefits, career development and opportunities, generous paid time off, workplace flexibility and a positive, engaging employee experience. In alignment with the Massachusetts Pay Transparency Act and our commitment to equity and transparency, we're sharing the salary grade range for this role. The grade range is based on market data and the scope of responsibilities. Final pay will depend on your experience, education, and other relevant qualifications.

Salary Ranges (depending on rank, qualifications and experience):

• Assistant Professor: $137,819 - $168,446

If you have questions about the salary grade range or need additional information, please contact us at GA_HR_Employment@bentley.edu.

Bentley University requires references checks and may conduct other pre-employment screening.

Bentley University requires references checks and may conduct other pre-employment screening.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Bentley University strives to create a campus community that welcomes the exchange of ideas, and fosters a culture that values differences and views them as a strength in our community.

Bentley University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, building strength through diversity. The University is committed to building a community of talented students, faculty and staff who reflect the diversity of global business. We strongly encourage applications from persons from underrepresented groups, individuals with disabilities, covered veterans and those with diverse experiences and backgrounds.