Description
Assistant Professor of XR Technologies - Narrative and Emerging
Media Program
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
Description:
The Narrative and Emerging Media Program seeks a full-time, 9-month (academic year)
tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in emerging digital
technologies and extended reality (XR). This position will be a critical
part of a highly collaborative team devoted to transdisciplinary approaches to
narrative through the creative use of technology. This tenure-track appointment
begins in August 2023. The successful candidate will join the Narrative and
Emerging Media Program based in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Building at
ASU’s California Center. This appointment requires in-person instruction at
ASU’s California Center in downtown Los Angeles, California.
About ASU
Arizona State University is a new model for American higher
education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial
energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified
institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the
economic, social, cultural and environmental health of the communities it
serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the
boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU serves more
than 80,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, the nation's fifth
largest city. Recently, it opened the satellite center in Los Angeles, in the
historic Herald Examiner Building, to connect to Los Angeles as a hub for
narrative content creation. ASU champions intellectual and cultural
diversity, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred
nations across the globe.
About the Herberger Institute for
Design and the Arts:
Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute
for Design and the Arts is the largest comprehensive design and arts school in
the country, located within a dynamic research university focused on
transformative change. Built on a unique combination of disciplines, the
Herberger Institute comprises the Schools of Art; Arts, Media and Engineering; Music, Dance and Theatre; The Design School; The Sidney Poitier New American
Film School, and
the ASU Art Museum. The Herberger
Institute is committed to redefining the 21st-century design and arts school
through developing and scaling ideas that strengthen the role of designers and
artists across all areas of society and culture, increasing the capacity of
artists to make a difference in their communities. For more information on the
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, visit herbergerinstitute.asu.edu.
About the program: Narrative and Emerging Media
The Narrative and Emerging Media (NEM) Program, powered by the
most innovative university in the nation, draws on the talent and energy of the
global entertainment capital of the world to drive
innovation and inclusion in next-generation storytelling. Through
research, policy, graduate education, fellowships, and industry partnerships,
the NEM Program shapes how new technology is designed and deployed to activate
human expression for a more just world. The NEM Program, located at the newly
renovated historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles, CA, will
host hundreds of students who will learn to create immersive media experiences
of all kinds while thriving in a rich environment supporting experimentation,
research and policy exploration.
The NEM program is a unique partnership between ASU’s The Sidney
Poitier New American Film School, the largest, most egalitarian film program in
the country, and the top ranked and award-winning Walter Cronkite School of
Journalism and Mass Communication. The NEM program centers an inclusive
approach to immersive experience and design, new forms of journalism, cinematic
futures and tech policy leadership, all connected to ASU’s existing
state-of-the-art programs in other disciplines. The NEM program has established
powerful connections between ASU’s renowned programs in Los Angeles, Tempe, and
Phoenix and its new state-of-the art 118,000 square foot film and immersive
media facility in Mesa, Arizona. While keeping our mission of inclusivity at
its core, the NEM program educates and supports writers, artists, journalists,
entrepreneurs and engineers who will build the stories, technologies and
policies of the future as part of the growing creative workforce.
The primary responsibilities for this position will be in the
Narrative and Emerging Media program based at ASU’s California Center
in downtown Los Angeles. The successful
candidate will be expected to teach and mentor students; develop and maintain
an independently funded and collaborative research program equivalent to the
rank in which they are hired; participate in professional and university
service; engage stakeholders in the university and the community; and
demonstrate national and international leadership in their field.
Required Qualifications:
Candidates must have:
·
A completed PhD or other terminal
degree in computer science, engineering, computational media, media arts or a related
field by the start date of the appointment.
·
Demonstrated excellence in and
commitment to teaching, though this need not be in a formal higher education
setting.
·
Demonstrated dedication to equity,
diversity, and inclusion in teaching, research, creative work and/or service.
·
Demonstrated expertise in and
experience with research in software and content development for XR, game
design and/or interactive media.
·
Demonstrated proficiency in one or
more of the following tools and practices: building 3D applications in Unity,
Unreal or equivalent game engines; C#; C++, XR optimization; motion graphics;
motion capture, Machine Learning (ML) and/or computer vision
(CV).
Desired Qualifications:
Research shows that people from groups closest to the harms of
institutional racism and inequality often apply to jobs only if they meet 100%
of the qualifications. Highly qualified candidates for this position may
possess a combination of some of the following skills, however, the search
committee does not anticipate that applicants will meet all of the desired
qualifications listed.
Highly qualified for this position may possess the following
skills:
- Commitment
to research, creative activity and/or scholarship that has public impact
outside of the academy, including work related to community engagement,
social justice, communication of science, cross-cultural communication or
similar endeavors.
- Evidence
of scholarship that demonstrates a
union of critical thinking and making.
- Evidence
of ability to inspire and instruct learners from diverse
backgrounds.
- Ability
to communicate effectively in and across multiple disciplinary cultures;
expertise in engaging multiple viewpoints and audiences in a variety of
formats.
- Advanced
proficiency in using computer languages and
technologies including, but not limited to C++, C#, JavaScript,
Python, HTML5, AWS, and PostgreSQL.
- Proficiency
in one or more of the following tools, practices, and systems: cloud
infrastructure for XR and mobile application development; iOS and/or
Android development; developments for VR/AR frameworks such as Oculus,
Hololens, SteamVR, ARKit/ARCore, MRTK, ARFoundation;
and hardware/interface development including experience with haptics
devices for XR.
- Knowledge
of virtual production environments and tools and workflows.
- Demonstrated
interest and/or experience in UI/UX design.
- Experience
with 3D software workflows including Maya, Max, Blender, Revit, Navisworks
or similar.
- Advanced
experience designing managed plug-ins and/or native plug-ins for game
engines or related software.
- Experience
collaborating with colleagues from different disciplines (including
engineers, game designers, and/or artists, among others) to develop and
grow dynamic research and academic programs.
- Demonstrated
experience in working with external stakeholders and communities in a
highly collaborative or co-creative manner.
- Experience
teaching online or creating resources for training/education in an online
environment.
Instructions to Apply:
Please submit:
- A
C.V.
- A
letter of interest/cover letter that includes a description of the
applicant's research and teaching interests and addresses their potential
alignment with the stated values and mission of ASU and the NEM program.
- A
statement addressing how the applicant’s past and/or potential
contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and/or racial justice will
advance ASU’s commitment to inclusive excellence.
- Contact
information for at least 3 professional or scholarly references.
- Portfolio
of creative and/or research work (web portfolio, code repository,
software/plug-ins) submitted electronically, as a website or via a
downloadable link/application or publication sample (file size limit
100mb).
All applications must be submitted electronically via apply.interfolio.com/120738
Application Deadline:
The application deadline is March 30, 2023. Applications will
continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool.
Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which
they were received until the position is filled.
ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions which
includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic
credentials, licenses and certifications.
Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will
receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability,
protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.
(See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.)
In
compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security
and fire safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire
Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf. You
may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department
at 480-965-3456.
COVID-19 Vaccination - Arizona State University is a
federal contractor and subject to federal regulations which may require you to
produce a record of a COVID-19 vaccination. For questions about medical
or religious accommodations, please visit the Office of Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion’s webpage.