Our application for Fall 2024 Assistant-in-Instruction (AI) appointments is now open. Please see below information about the application process, requirements, criteria, and the list of available opportunities. Please read the following information very carefully. There is a lot of critical information, including deadlines and time sensitive university requirements.
Note that courses may be added on a rolling basis. Please look out for additional courses up to two weeks prior to the deadline.
Application Process
To apply, please submit an application online here: (https://forms.gle/z3Eu9FPzfTFvWoyZ6). The form link will prompt you to log in using your NetID. Please rank your choices and upload documents as needed. The more choices you include the higher the likelihood that you will be given an assignment. Graduating students who have never received an AI position will be given priority. Also Graduating students who have never received a studio AI position, and apply for one, will also be given priority.
Please read the description of each course requirements. A cover letter, portfolio and CV, or a brief statement of interest and 2-page selection of work, is required IF the faculty member expressly specified additional materials in their AI description. Note: Please upload one zip file only for each course, named with course number and your Last Name (ex: 206 Turner, 502 Tansley, 201 Hunter, etc.)
Students that only rank a handful of options are likely to not receive an AI assignment even if they are in their last year. Please review our website for more information and FAQs https://soa.princeton.edu/content/assistantships-instruction-ai
The deadline for applications is Friday, August 2, 2024. Due to the competitive nature of these applications, no late submissions will be accepted after this time. This notification deadline will allow students to pursue other opportunities on campus. AI appointments will be announced around August 17. For those who do not get an appointment, please note that additional AI positions may become available as enrollment shifts.
Requirements
Regardless of prior teaching experience, all first-time AIs at Princeton are required by the Graduate School to attend AI Orientation. This fall, the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning will offer in-person AI training on August 29 and August 30, 2024. First-time AIs should hold 9:00am-4:00pm both days for the Orientation and will be assigned to a half-day session.
AIs are also required to complete the University's an online education program, Preventing Sexual Harassment, to help us provide a safe and supportive environment for all community members. All AIs will receive notification about this. This is also mandatory. You must complete this training during your first week of classes or your AI position may be terminated.
Criteria
To AI a course, students must be available at the meeting times listed with each course. However, on occasion faculty grant exceptions to this rule. This is allowed as long as you inform the faculty member of the nature of the conflict as part of your application, and as long as the faculty member indicates in writing that this is permissible prior to commencing the semester.
If a student is an AI for studio that is traveling during fall break, they are expected to travel with their studio NOT the studio or the course they are an AI for. On occasion, faculty grant exceptions to this rule. Communicate with the faculty.
Any student with an incomplete on his/her transcript will not be eligible for an AI position. If you have an incomplete, please do not apply.
Faculty are provided the list of students who applied to work with them as well as their application materials. The faculty then rank their preferences. Faculty are discouraged from working with the same students more than once for a course to give opportunities to a broader group of students.
The Associate Dean and Academic Programs Manager work together to develop a list of AI assignments that takes into account student and faculty preferences. The Dean reviews the assignments for errors. Graduating students who have never received an AI position will be given priority. Also Graduating students who have never received a studio AI position, and apply for one, will also be given priority. Students are then contacted individually to confirm that they are still interested in the position, and if so, they are assigned to the course.
Ph.D. students who are in ET/DCC status are not eligible for AI positions.
Students must have completed any English Language Proficiency programming and testing required at the time of admission.
The number of AI positions and hours assigned is determined by the Dean of the Faculty. The School of Architecture does not have jurisdiction over the number of AI hours a course is assigned. If a course does not meet the required enrollment number, the AI appointment will unfortunately be cancelled. The department cannot replace this appointment. Conversely, if enrollment in courses increases, additional AI positions may become available and students who applied for those positions will be contacted within the first few weeks of the semester.
AI hours do not equal actual hours: 1 AI Hour = about 3.3 actual hours per week; 6 AI Hours = about 20 actual hours per week
For general information and University policy about AIs, visit: https://gradschool.princeton.edu/costs-funding/sources-funding/assistantships/assistantships-instruction
FALL 2024 AI Opportunities at the School of Architecture
To apply, please submit an application online here: https://forms.gle/z3Eu9FPzfTFvWoyZ6
Undergraduate Courses
ARC 203: Introduction to Architectural Thinking
S. Allen
Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00-11:50 a.m. plus precepts (4 AI hours split between 4 students)
Applicants should have a strong background in architectural history and the capacity to work independently. The ability to explain ideas clearly to undergraduates who have limited background in the field is crucial. Please apply with a cover letter and CV.
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ARC 205: Interdisciplinary Design Studio
M. Gandelsonas
Tuesday/Thursday, 1:30-4:20 p.m. (6 AI hours for 1 position)
Primary Duties: The AI will be instrumental in helping the students conceptualize and develop their design projects, through a range of tools and methodologies. Studio AI will organize rooms, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, schedule and coordinate reviews. The AI will also teach workshops on Rhino, Photoshop and physical model making.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a strong design background since most students in 205 do not have an architecture background. Expected to attend and participate in all public reviews and be available to students for desk critiques. Please apply with a brief statement and a selection of work.
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ARC 206: Geometry & Architectural Representation
Z. Schumacher
Tuesday 1:30-4:20 p.m. (6 AI hours split between 2 positions)
Background Required: The AI should have strong general representational skills (including physical model making as well as drawing) and excellent knowledge of Rhino. Interest in the history of geometry and representation in architecture is preferred.
Primary Duties: The AI will be responsible for multiple tasks including providing technical support during class time, as well as leading weekly help sessions to support student progress on challenging assignments.
Please apply with a brief statement of interest and 2-page selection of work.
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ARC 206: Geometry & Architectural Representation
C. Wu
Monday 1:30-4:20 p.m. (6 AI hours split between 2 positions)
Background Required: The AI should have strong general representational skills (including physical model making as well as drawing) and excellent knowledge of Rhino. Interest in the history of geometry and representation in architecture is preferred.
Primary Duties: The AI will be responsible for multiple tasks including providing technical support during class time, as well as leading weekly help sessions to support student progress on challenging assignments.
Please apply with a brief statement of interest and 2-page selection of work.
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ARC 308: History of Architectural Theory
J. Cephas
Monday/Wednesday, 11:00-11:50 a.m. plus precepts (3 AI hours split between 2 positions)
Primary Duties: The AI is responsible for leading group discussions, assisting the instructor in providing feedback on weekly writing assignments, and providing supplemental support to students as they develop their papers. The AI must read all required course readings and assist in preparing and grading the course papers. Applicants should have a strong background in architectural history and be able to explain ideas clearly to undergraduates who have limited background in the field.
Background Required: PhD or advanced M. Arch with a strong history/theory background. Strong writing/editing skills are a must, accompanied by broad bibliographic knowledge relating to the diverse range of architectural topics. Please apply with a cover letter in which the salient features of your work and interest are mentioned.
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ARC 311: Building Science and Technology: Building Systems
P. Pelsinski
Wednesday, 1:30-4:20 p.m. plus precepts (4 AI hours for 1 position)
Primary Duties: Attend and participate in all lab sessions and exercise introductions and be available to students during fabrication lab hours. Studio AI will also organize all rooms, reading assignments, background material for exercises, update Blackboard site, schedule and coordinate guest lecturers and fabrication access. This applies to both the Architecture Building and ECL.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background. Strong Computation Skills. Traditional woodshop skills not necessary. Rhino, Grasshopper, Python, ABB robotics are all relevant. Any experience with aerial drones is a plus.
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ARC 350: Junior Studio
Z. Schumacher
Monday/Wednesday, 1:30-4:20 p.m. (6 AI hours split between 2 positions)
Primary Duties: The AI will be instrumental in helping the students conceptualize and develop their design projects, through a range of tools and methodologies. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, lead workshops to strengthen skills, compile background material for design problems, update Canvas site, schedule and coordinate reviews.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background. Strong Design Skills. Expected to attend and participate in all public reviews, be available to students for desk critiques and additional workshops to strengthen digital skills (rhino, photoshop, illustrator, laser-cutting). Please apply with CV, statement of interest and selection of work.
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ARC 350: Junior Studio
M. Brown
Tuesday/Thursday, 1:30-4:20 p.m. (6 AI hours split between 2 positions)
Primary Duties: The AI will be instrumental in helping the students conceptualize and develop their design projects, through a range of tools and methodologies. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, lead workshops to strengthen skills, compile background material for design problems, update Canvas site, schedule and coordinate reviews.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background. Strong Design Skills. Expected to attend and participate in all public reviews, be available to students for desk critiques and additional workshops to strengthen digital skills (rhino, photoshop, illustrator, laser-cutting). Please apply with CV, statement of interest and selection of work.
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URB 385: Mapping Gentrification
A. Shkuda
Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00-12:20 p.m. (2 AI Hours for 1 position)
Primary Duties: The AI will help design hands-on in-class research and visual analysis activities, assist students with GIS mapping tutorials and projects, and potentially lead breakout discussions groups of students during class time.
Background Required: PhD or advanced M. Arch with an interest in urbanism. GIS experience is preferred, though not required. Knowledge of scholarly literatures on urban planning, history, sociology, and geography is a plus.
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ARC 403 Topics: History & Theory of Architecture
J. Cephas
Wednesday, 1:30-4:20 p.m. (2 AI hours for 1 position)
Primary Duties: The AI will aid the instructor in providing feedback for short weekly writing assignments for undergraduate senior architecture concentrators. The AI is required to attend and participate in seminar sessions to discuss a broad range of topics as seniors develop their written thesis topics. AI will manage the Canvas site, reading assignments, and organize the day-long undergrad thesis topic “symposium” at the end of the semester.
Background Required: PhD or advanced M. Arch with a strong history/theory background. Strong writing/editing skills are a must, accompanied by broad bibliographic knowledge relating to the diverse range of architectural topics. Please apply with a cover letter in which the salient features of your work and interest are mentioned.
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ARC 404: Senior Studio
T. Kelly
Tuesday/Thursday, 1:30-4:20 p.m. (6 AI hours split between 2 positions)
Primary Duties: Studio AI must be available during studio and outside of class time. Attendance at reviews is required as well. The primary roles will be to assist the instructor with desk critiques, preparatory work, and to provide technical instruction during and/or outside of class hours.
Background Required: 2D drawing and 3D modeling skills required, accompanied by additional digital (graphic) skills; strong design background; competence in basic research and library work; good organizational habits. Please apply with CV and portfolio.
Graduate Courses
ARC 501: Architecture Design Studio
A. French / M. Ponce de León / M. McEwen
Monday/Thursday, 1:30-5:50 p.m. (12 AI hours split between 3 positions)
Primary Duties: The AIs will support the faculty in the teaching of ARC 501 and be instrumental in helping the students conceptualize and develop their design projects, through a range of tools and methodologies. Studio AIs will organize all room/space reservations, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, schedule and coordinate reviews. AIs will provide workshops on Rhino and work with students on ensuring their material is well organized for reviews ahead of time.
Background Required: Open to all 2nd and 3rd year students in the MArch programs. Need to have strong design skills, and design education. Applicants should have thorough knowledge of Rhino software and have excellent model-making skills. AIs are expected to attend and participate in all public reviews and be available to students for desk critiques.
Please apply with statement of interest and a brief selection of work. At a minimum, please include samples of architectural representations that demonstrate high skill in composing drawings including plans, sections, and elevations; 3-D modeling; rendering/image making; and physical models.
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ARC 503a: Integrated Building Studio
P. Lewis / G. Nordenson
Monday/Thursday, 1:30-5:50 p.m. (1 position for 6 AI hours)
Primary Duties: Studio AI should attend and participate in all public reviews and be available to students for informal desk critiques. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, and assist with the schedule and coordinate reviews.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background; Knowledge of buildings systems (structure and passive thermal) and building materials; Strong Design Skills with the ability to sketch ideas. Please apply with cover letter, portfolio and CV.
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ARC 503b: Integrated Building Studio
J. Reiser
Monday/Thursday, 1:30-5:50 p.m. (1 position for 6 AI hours)
Primary Duties: Studio AI should attend and participate in all public reviews and be available to students for informal desk critiques. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, and assist with the schedule and coordinate reviews.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background; Knowledge of buildings systems (structure and passive thermal) and building materials; Strong Design Skills with the ability to sketch ideas. Please apply with cover letter, portfolio and CV.
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ARC 503c: Integrated Building Studio
J. Liu
Monday/Thursday, 1:30-5:50 p.m. (1 position for 6 AI hours)
Primary Duties: Studio AI should attend and participate in all public reviews and be available to students for informal desk critiques. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, and assist with the schedule and coordinate reviews.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background; Knowledge of buildings systems (structure and passive thermal) and building materials; Strong Design Skills with the ability to sketch ideas. Please apply with cover letter, portfolio and CV.
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ARC 505A: Vertical Studio
S. Allen
Monday/Thursday, 1:30-5:50 p.m. (1 position for 6 AI hours)
Primary Duties: Studio AI should attend and participate in all public reviews. Availability for informal desk critiques may be required. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, schedule and coordinate reviews/travel.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background. Strong Design Skills. Ability to work with faculty to facilitate communication, organizational logistics, and if necessary, travel plans. Ability to motivate students and assist in remote reviews/desk crits. Ability to assist students in (physical) model making, architectural drawings and representation. Please apply with statement of interest and selection of work.
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ARC 505B: Vertical Studio
L. Diller
Monday/Thursday, 1:30-5:50 p.m. (1 position for 6 AI hours)
Primary Duties: The AI will be instrumental in helping the students conceptualize and develop their design projects, through a range of tools and methodologies. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, schedule and coordinate reviews.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background. Strong Design Skills. Expected to attend and participate in all public reviews and be available to students for desk critiques. Please apply with statement of interest and selection of work.
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ARC 507: M. Arch Post-Prof Thesis Studio
J. Reiser
Thursday, 1:30-5:50 p.m. (1 position for 6 AI hours)
Primary Duties: The AI will be instrumental in helping the students conceptualize and develop their design projects, through a range of tools and methodologies. Studio AI will organize all rooms, reading assignments, background material for design problems, update Canvas site, schedule and coordinate reviews.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch or PhD with a design background. Strong Design Skills. Expected to attend and participate in all public reviews and be available to students for desk critiques. Please apply with cover letter, portfolio and CV.
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ARC 510: Structural Analysis for Architecture
S. Black
Friday, 1:30-4:20 p.m. (6 AI hours split between two positions)
The AI is expected to:
- Have a comfortable understanding of bending moment, bending stress, & free body diagrams.
- Teach precept 1 hour per week. Preferably Tues or Wed. AI has input on exact time of day.
- Preference to AI’s with prior experience teaching ARC 510. If we hit the ground running, we can more quickly focus directly on our students.
- Prior experience teaching a technical/engineering subject as a TA or AI preferred.
- Grade exams. Answer keys will be provided.
- Grade quizzes and homework. Answer keys will be provided. Quizzes & homework will be reviewed by the AI to help determine where students are struggling, but the assignments will be marked as pass/fail rather than every question being graded for points, reducing the time the AI spends grading.
- Attend lectures & assist with answering student questions as they work through in-class design problems. It is ok for the AI to work on personally laptop work during lecture, but one of the most important AI duties will be answering one-on one questions that students have while they work through problems in class.
- A note from the instructor, Sylvester Black: ARC 510 works best when the instructor and AI’s operate as a teaching unit, sharing information about what students are having difficulty with in precept and in homework to influence what is addressed or reviewed in lecture, and vice-versa. Your input will be valued. Your work will have a direct impact on the students. Your time will be respected.
Please apply with a letter noting any relevant structural classes, structural experience, and/or teaching/AI experience you have. A CV is also helpful but not required.
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ARC 530: M. Arch Thesis Seminar
S. Lavin, E. Diller
Thursday, 9:00-11:50 p.m. (1 position for 2 AI hours)
Primary Duties: in additional to typical logistical responsibilities (arranging schedules, guests and review orchestration and managing student assignments) intellectual responsibilities will include assisting students as they develop research protocols for their individual projects.
Background Required: The ideal candidate for AI for thesis prep is a PhD student with strong interest in current design culture or a Post Professional student with strong interest in history/theory. Please apply with brief statement and a cv that indicates if you have studio teaching experience.
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ARC 547: Introduction to Formal Analysis
C. Wu
Tuesdays, 9:30am-12:20 p.m. (8 AI hours split between two positions)
Primary Duties: The AI will aid the instructor in preparing weekly analysis and design exercises. The AI is required to attend and participate in lecture/workshop sessions and is also required to be available for desk critiques in advance of exercise submissions. AI will manage Canvas site, organize rooms, reading assignments, and background material for assignments.
Background Required: Advanced M. Arch with a design background. Strong technical skills (Rhino, Grasshopper) in addition to analytic and design skills.
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ARC 574: Computational Fabrication
A. Adel
Wednesdays, 1:30-4:20 (1 position for 4 AI hours)
Primary Duties: Attend and participate in all lecture and lab sessions, and be available to students during fabrication lab hours. The AI will also assist with lecture notes, assignments, scheduling/coordinating fabrication access, and developing fabrication setups and digital workflows.
Background Required: An M. Arch. or Ph.D. student with the following background and skills:
- Strong communication skills
- Strong background in Computational Design and Digital Fabrication
- Good knowledge of the CAD software Rhinoceros 3D, its plugin Grasshopper 3D, and its API RhinoCommon
- Excellent programming skills (primarily Python, but C# and C++ also desired)
- Experience with operating industrial robotic arms
- End-effector and tool design
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with Robot Operating System (ROS)
- Strong foundation in Linear Algebra
- ABB Robotics/RAPID
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Other job opportunities
Shop Monitors
There will be a number of positions (on average, students work 8 hours per week and are paid $15.00/hour). If you’re interested in working as a shop or print monitor keep a lookout for an email from Soashops@princeton.edu that will contain a Google form.
Exhibition Assistants
Assistant positions will be available to students for upcoming exhibitions at the School of Architecture. Each exhibition brings a unique set of opportunities for students to participate in the production process. Students generally work 10 hours per week, and more hours during install / deinstall periods. Positions pay $15/hour. Kira McDonald will be sending a separate email with more information in the coming weeks.