Assistant/Associate Professor and Extension Landscape Architecture Specialist
About the role
Overview
The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning (LAEP) in the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (QANR) at Utah State University (USU) invites candidates at the Assistant or Associate Professor level to apply for an eleven-month, tenure-track faculty appointment with a 60% Extension / 30% Teaching / 10% Service division of responsibilities.
The Landscape Architecture Extension Specialist will be an active connection between LAEP and the people who shape Utah’s places. By translating research and design thinking into practical, accessible tools, the successful candidate will provide statewide leadership to help communities, county Extension faculty, and practitioners meet the pressures of rapid growth, urban/rural interface conflicts, and water and resource scarcity facing Utah. Through service-learning and studio partnerships, the position will emphasize student success and give students real-world experience serving communities, so that each project strengthens both the places served and the next generation of professionals. In doing so, the specialist will advance LAEP’s vision of empowering individuals and communities to make aesthetically, ecologically, and socially responsible landscape planning and design decisions in support of people and the environment, while contributing to the Department’s collegial, collaborative culture of community-engaged learning.
Review of applications will begin February 1, 2027 and will continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date will be August 1, 2027. The position is located on USU’s main campus in Logan, Utah and is not eligible for remote work. For additional information, contact [email protected], Search Committee Chairperson.
The Department of Landscape Architecture & Environment welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of their current U.S. work authorization status. Visa sponsorship may be available depending on individual circumstances and applicable immigration requirements. The University supports standard sponsorship costs but cannot cover the additional $100,000 H-1B fee if applicable. Sponsorship eligibility will be determined by University Human Resources prior to an official offer of employment.
Responsibilities
Utah’s communities enjoy a geographically diverse and active environment, and they are also navigating the pressures that come with rapid growth, including urbanization, transportation demands, pollution, and land use conflicts, all intensified by a changing climate. The successful candidate will support citizens, practitioners, Extension personnel, and communities in addressing these challenges by providing access to resources and knowledge that help shape a positive and proactive future for the region, working cooperatively across disciplines to do so.
Candidates should possess an excellent understanding of landscape architectural design, planning, and land development, and will be expected to develop Extension programs to support constituents in these areas across the state and beyond. Constituents may include, but are not limited to, county Extension faculty, communities and citizens, and design and planning professionals. The individual hired will provide leadership across the state through collaborations with these constituents and will liaise with USU researchers, faculty, and students.
The successful candidate will also provide continuing education and professional development opportunities that help practitioners advance their careers, licensure, and certification, and will cultivate partnerships with professional organizations such as Utah ASLA and APA. The candidate will be required to develop a program translating research into impacts, and will be expected to assess the impacts of Extension programs and service-learning projects on communities and the broader profession. Their Extension activities should be aimed at developing practical solutions for strengthening the impact of planning and design in various landscapes, and building organizational capacity in the service of Utah’s communities.
In addition to advancing the profession(s), the candidate will support LAEP’s community-engaged learning efforts by connecting students and studios with communities through service-learning opportunities.
The successful candidate should also demonstrate ability or potential to teach core studio/lecture courses that can either cover core competencies or innovations in design and/or planning, including advising students within the department’s graduate program (i.e., MLA, MsEP, PhD). Candidates should possess superior capabilities in one or more of the following areas:
- Landscape Architecture
- Planning (conservation, environmental, regional, or bioregional)
- Sustainable Land Development and Economics
- Community Development
- Design for Resource Scarcity
- Urban Design
- Technology in Support of Practice
Qualifications
The preferred qualifications describe an ideal candidate, and we do not expect any one applicant to meet all of them. If you meet the minimum qualifications and your experience aligns with many of the preferred qualifications, and you are excited about this position, we encourage you to apply.
Minimum Qualifications
- Applicants must hold a graduate degree, and at least one degree in landscape architecture, which may be the graduate degree, with degrees in multiple disciplines preferred. Applicants should have relevant professional practice and teaching experience. Applicants should show evidence of (or clear potential for) leadership and collaboration in an Extension and outreach role.
Preferred Qualifications
- A strong background (five years or more experience) or training in landscape architectural practice.
- Professional licensure in landscape architecture.
- Previous teaching experience.
- Demonstrated ability to secure funding, such as grants, contracts, or partner and sponsor support; for Extension programs, applied research, and service-learning.
- Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills; facilitating learning in the classroom and dialogue with community members and professionals, while crafting polished award submissions, grant and project proposals, web content, and fact sheets.
- Demonstrated experience in public engagement; with a record of community-engaged projects that benefit local partners and of advancing the profession(s) through engagement with practitioners.
- Familiarity with the communities, landscapes, and land use challenges of Utah and the Intermountain West, gained through professional practice, research, or community engagement.
To be considered at the Associate Professor level the following additional qualifications must be met:
- Both experience and an established record in Cooperative Extension
- An established record of extensive professional practice in landscape architecture, demonstrated by completed projects, leadership roles, or professional recognition that inform Extension, teaching, and engagement with practitioners.
- An established record of securing extramural grant or contract funding
- An established record of effectiveness in teaching
- An established record of excellence in community-engaged scholarship and creative or applied work that advances the profession(s) through practice, partnerships, and public impact.
Required Documents
Along with the online application, please attach:
In addition, a professional portfolio may be sent directly to the department via a shared link.
Please address questions and the portfolio directly to:
Associate Professor Benjamin George, Search Committee Chairperson
Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Utah State University / 4005 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-4005
**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**
Advertised Salary
Commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefitsADA
Employees typically work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.
College/Department Highlights
LAEP brings together landscape architecture and environmental planning in a program that prepares exceptional practitioners, scholars, leaders, and citizens to address the challenges of landscapes and communities across the globe. Our offerings span the MLA, MsEP, and PhD graduate programs as well as undergraduate degrees in landscape architecture and environmental planning. Our students learn by doing, using design thinking and tools to help local and global communities solve their problems and build a better quality of life. Community-engaged learning is central to our studios, and our Extension Landscape Architecture program extends that commitment to Utah’s communities and professionals. LAEP’s Extension Landscape Architecture program is a core legacy of our department and commitment, with a 50 year history which began with the Environmental Field Service program. Faculty and students work in diverse settings, from urban neighborhoods and gateway communities to the wildland-urban interface, and benefit from close connections to practitioners through the Canyon House Residency, the LAEP Speaker Series, sponsored studios, and partnerships with Utah ASLA, APA, and other professional organizations. The successful candidate will join colleagues who value teaching, community partnership, and a strong culture of belonging, and will have a defining role in how LAEP’s work reaches communities and practitioners across Utah and beyond.
University Highlights
As Utah’s student-centered, land-grant research university, Utah State University expands opportunity and strengthens communities across the state through learning, discovery, extension, and engagement. Founded in 1888, USU now holds two Carnegie distinctions: R1 status for very high research activity and the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Its innovative research and scholarship is grounded in reciprocal partnerships with local, regional, and global communities, advancing knowledge and serving the public good across Utah, the nation, and the world. With over 50 world-class research facilities and the nation’s second-oldest undergraduate research program, USU prepares students to become active, civically engaged leaders who can address critical societal challenges.
USU enrolls over 29,800 students, both online and in person at locations throughout the state. Utah State’s 30 locations include a main campus in Logan, Utah, residential campuses in Price and Blanding, and six additional statewide campuses, along with education centers serving every county. USU educates students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. For over 100 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns, serving every county in the state.
Competing at the NCAA Division I level in 16 sports, USU is a proud member of the Pac-12 Conference, which it joined July 1, 2026. The Aggies capped a historic final season in the Mountain West by capturing nine combined regular-season and tournament titles in 2025-26, with five teams advancing to postseason play. This tradition of excellence extends to the classroom, where 232 student-athletes earned academic honors, and to the community, where USU ranked second nationally in Division I service hours, with nine teams placing in the top 10 for community service.
Utah State is dedicated to fostering a community where all individuals feel respected, valued, and supported and where diversity of thought and culture are cultivated. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when it named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU.
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*updated 10/26
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Civil Rights & Title IX Office
Old Main Room 405
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For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit crtix.usu.edu or contact:
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Denver Regional Office
303-844-5695| [email protected]
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
800-421-3481 | [email protected]
*updated 08/2026