Deputy Dean in the School of Design

The Deputy Dean will assist the Dean of the School of Design to realise the Shenzhen Innovative Creative Design Institute (SIDI), an international, high-level, innovative and practical world-class design institute. SIDI will play a major role in realising Shenzhen’s commitment to developing into a creative and creative city with international influence and a pioneer in international cultural innovation. The institute will be a base to cultivate innovative talent for creative design industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and will serve as the region’s innovative creative industry development high-end think tank.

Roles and Responsibilities

To assist the dean in the establishment and operation of the School of Design and later the Shenzhen Institute of Design and Innovation. Duties will include assisting, when delegated, in:

• Preparing curricula for approval by relevant authorities and committees
• Recruitment of academic and administrative staff for school operations
• Daily operation of the school and School Office
• Chairing relevant committees and serving on others
• Representing the dean as requested
• Teaching and research in one of the approved degree programs in the School of Design
• Mentoring of students

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in design in a discipline relevant to the Institute
• Experience in senior academic administration
• Experience in design practice
• Fluency in written and spoken Chinese
• Ability to read, write and converse in English

Terms & Applications

Applications should specify the position sought and address the roles and responsibilities described. Applicants should have an earned Ph.D. degree and demonstrated achievements in both research (including in practice) and teaching. SUSTech has identified entrepreneurship as one of the main directions of the university. Strong support will be provided to possible new initiatives and candidates with experience in entrepreneurship and the translation of research through design are invited to apply.

SUSTech is committed to increase the diversity of its faculty and has a range of family-friendly policies in place. The university offers competitive salaries and fringe benefits including medical insurance, retirement and housing subsidy, which are among the best in China. Salary and rank will commensurate with qualifications and experience. More information can be found at http://talent.sustech.edu.cn/en

We provide some of the best start-up packages in the sector to our faculty members, including doctoral studentship, postdoctoral fellowships, and start-up funding.

Application Procedure

To apply, please provide a cover letter identifying the primary area of research, curriculum vitae, and research and teaching statements, as well as a statement of your leadership experience and approach. Please forward these to designschool@sustech.edu.cn with the subject line “Deputy Dean”.

The City and The University                                                                              

Established in 2012, the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) is a public institution funded by the municipal of Shenzhen, a special economic zone city in China. Shenzhen is a major city located in Southern China, situated immediately north to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

As one of China's major gateways to the world, Shenzhen is the country's fastest-growing city in the past two decades and has been designated a UNESCO City of Design. As a State-level innovative city, the city is the high-tech and manufacturing hub of southern China, home to the world's third-busiest container port, and the fourth-busiest airport on the Chinese mainland. The city is home to more than 6,000 design firms accounting for 100,000 employees and is an important center for the development of intellectual property rights. About 40,000 patents are granted to Shenzhen enterprises annually, half of which are concerned with innovative designs.

As a picturesque coastal city, Shenzhen is also a popular tourist destination and was named one of the world's 31 must-see tourist destinations in 2010 by The New York Times. Shenzhen ranks the 66th place on the 2017 Global City Competitiveness List, released by the National Academy of Economic Strategy, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and United Nations Habitat. By the end of 2016, there were around 20 million residents in Shenzhen.

SUSTech is a pioneer in higher education reform in China. The mission of the University is to become a globally recognized research university which emphasizes academic excellence and promotes innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. Set on five hundred acres of wooded landscape in the picturesque Nanshan (South Mountain) area, the campus offers an ideal environment for learning and research.

The School of Design

The School of Design has been established in 2020 as the first step toward establishment the Shenzhen Institute of Design and Innovation, an independent tertiary institution for research and learning in design. The School of Design, later the Institute, will contribute to the development of Shenzhen as a world-leading center for innovation and creative industries. The Institute is expected to grow over to comprise 800 students by 2024 towards a target of 5000 students, maintaining a student: staff ratio of 8:1. The curriculum will offer research-engaged design education in the fields of product design, fashion design, media art and technology, urban and interior design, man-machine interaction, and design strategy and management at undergraduate and graduate levels, including doctoral studies, that will be closely connected to industry. A well-equipped campus is being built for the Institute in Bao’an in the western section of Shenzhen and should be ready for use in 2024.