New York-based designer Constantin Boym has been selected to lead the industrial design department at one of America's prominent design schools.

Boym will take over as head of industrial design at the Pratt Institute on 13 July, replacing Scott Lundberg, who has served as interim chair since autumn 2014.

The department is part of the Pratt Institute's School of Design, which is regularly ranked among the top design schools in the US.

The industrial design program, which has approximately 300 students, was previously led by Steve Diskin, who held the position from July 2010 to June 2014.

"Design has changed tremendously in the last few years, perhaps more than any other creative field," said Boym in a statement. "I am excited to join Pratt Institute at this crucial moment and help continue its trajectory as a leader in design education."

Originally from Russia, Boym moved to New York in the 1980s, where he founded his studio Boym Partners with his partner Laurene Leon Boym. The firm has created a wide range of products for companies including Alessi, Swatch, Flos and Vitra.

It is well known for its Boym Editions, a line of unusual products such as miniature replicas of buildings associated with disasters and a chess set with figures that represent historic moments or icons.

Boym was faculty and program coordinator at Parsons School of Design from 1987 to 2000, and relocated to Qatar in 2010, where he was director of Graduate Design Studies at the country's Virginia Commonwealth University until 2012 before moving back to the US.

"Professor Boym has an impressive history as a designer in the industry and within academia, and I look forward to him bringing his wealth of experience to Pratt," said Anita Cooney, Pratt's dean of design. "I am confident that his critical, experimental approach to design will build upon the department's history of excellence and innovation."

Portrait of Constantin Boym is by Markus Elblaus.