James Wei Visiting Professorship

The Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education at Princeton University seeks applications for the James Wei Visiting Professorship for Academic Years 2025-26 and 2026-2027. Made possible by the generous support of several Princeton alumni, the James Wei Visiting Professorship is a key element of Princeton's broadening scope of social impact design and entrepreneurship education. The course offerings range from social impact design courses such as Creativity, Innovation and Design to entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship courses such as Entrepreneurial Leadership, Special Topics in Social Entrepreneurship, and Policy Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century. The co-curricular offerings at the Keller Center include summer internships, the Summer Accelerator Program of eLab, the Tiger Challenge program in social impact design and campus events such as a lecture series and the annual Innovation Forum.

Additionally, there is broad active student engagement in entrepreneurship through various clubs/groups and initiatives by individual faculty and students. The appointment provides from half to full academic-year support and, accordingly, will be either for one semester or one academic year (AY 2025-2026 or AY 2026-2027); preference must be indicated as part of the application. The visitor will teach at least one novel undergraduate course, which is expected to be different from, but complimentary to, the existing curriculum. The visitor will also undertake some activities that contribute to the life of the Keller Center and the University. The visitor is expected to bring a unique and creative educational experience to students through classroom teaching and other projects. Educational innovation is of particular interest in this appointment. Candidates will be evaluated according to their scholarship and teaching ability, and their track record of innovations and innovative teaching methods as applied to social impact design and entrepreneurship. Moreover, significant entrepreneurial experience outside of the academic setting in either for-profit or non-profit enterprises is desirable. The work location for this position is in-person on campus at Princeton University.

Candidates with expertise and teaching plans well aligned with center priorities will be prioritized. Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred. For full consideration, applications should be received by December 15, 2024. Applicants should indicate in application materials the preferred academic year for the visit. Applications are submitted at https://www.princeton.edu/acad-positions/position/36422 and should include:

1. the candidate's curriculum vitae;
2. a career statement that addresses the candidate's prior experiences relevant to the application and proposed teaching;
3. a teaching statement in which the candidate discusses their plans for the visiting semester or year, with particular emphasis on how their proposed new course fits into the existing Keller Center curriculum and usefully builds beyond it;
4. the names and contact information for three references that can comment on the nominee's qualifications and experiences relevant to the proposed activities. Letters will later be solicited for any top candidates.