Assistant Teaching Professor of Digital Arts and Media Design

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS

Position Specifics:

The Digital Arts Program and School of Visual Arts in the College of Arts and Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University invite candidates to apply for an Assistant Teaching Professor position of Digital Arts and Media Design focusing on 3D Animation.

This is a full-time, 36-week, nine-month, non-tenure track appointment. The anticipated start date is August 2026. Full university benefits apply.

We are seeking qualified candidates whose creative practice and teaching interests are focused on 3D animation and related technologies. The ideal candidate is a 3D animator/generalist with considerable experience in 3D animation workflows that can instruct and mentor 3d animation students and who stays abreast of 3D professional practices, industry standard software, and emerging technologies and production pipelines. The successful candidate will teach courses in 3D modeling and animation as well as additional courses related to their experience and practice that may include, animation fundamentals, foundational design, experimental animation, emerging practices and technologies, or other related digital arts and design studio courses in the program.

We invite applications from qualified candidates with exceptional interpersonal skills and a strong commitment to collegiality and teamwork, who are prepared to contribute through teaching and creative activity at all levels of the Digital Arts Curriculum and majors.

Responsibilities:
The position will include teaching up to three courses in the Digital Arts and Media Design Program each semester, participation in program activities, and service to the school, college, and university committees as assigned.

• Teach 3D courses covering animation previsualize, animation, motion capture, lighting, rendering, and compositing.
• Teach production skills necessary to design, rig, animate, light, and render 3D assets for animated films and digital games.
• Teach additional digital arts courses in the curriculum based on areas of expertise.
• Be well-versed in teaching the principles of animation and effective visual storytelling.
• Join with digital art faculty to cultivate a lively animation studio culture and help set production standards that enhance student creative outcomes.
• Participate in the guidance and assessment of students, portfolio development, independent studies, internships, and capstone thesis projects.
• Encourage and support our students in developing animated creative works as part of a socially and culturally engaged research university.

Required Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in Animation, Digital Arts, New Media, Cinematic Arts, Film/Cinema Production, or a comparable terminal degree (such as a Master of Fine Arts - MFA, or a PhD) at the time of appointment.
• Evidence of a commitment to a successful 3D animation digital arts practice, commensurate with experience.
• Evidence of equitable considerations for all, awareness, and practice regarding curricula development, along with evidence of working collectively to cultivate a culture that encourages success and enables all members of a college community to thrive.

Preferred qualifications:

• College-level teaching experience (one semester, minimum, including teaching assistantships or equivalent technical training/teaching).
• Professional experience working in 3d animation for films, games, TV or creative industries.
• Considerable experience working with Autodesk Maya and Motion Builder
• Experience with related animation, visual effects, and compositing tools: Blender, Houdini, Substance 3D Painter, ZBrush, Nuke.

To Apply

To be assured of full consideration, all materials should be submitted via Penn State’s online application system and include the following:

• a letter of application stating teaching and creative interests, and qualifications for the position
• a curriculum vitae
• an artist or designer statement (or statement of practice and creative activity)
• a statement of teaching philosophy, addressing how they create an inclusive learning environment for all
• a representative portfolio of creative work in animation and demo reel
• a representative portfolio of student work and teaching portfolio (in 3D modeling and animation, if available)
• Name and contact information for three professional references

All documents above must be submitted in pdf file format, with external links (to portfolio materials and reels) included as needed/relevant.

NOTE: Only five files (5 mb per document) can be uploaded. Please combine smaller files to accommodate this restriction.

Screening of applications will begin on May 1 and will continue to be received until the position is filled.

Inquiries should be addressed to:
Woohun Joo, Chair, Assistant Professor of Art and Digital Arts & Media Design, Digital Arts Faculty Search Committee
[email protected]

About the Digital Arts Program

The Digital Arts Program (DART) at Penn State approaches design through the lens of visual arts as a critical, creative, and experimental studio-based practice. The program prepares students to become leaders in digital media fields, where a commanding knowledge of emerging technologies allows them to contribute and innovate in a range of creative media design careers. Students choose from BDes, BFA, and BA degrees and progress alongside their cohort in an intense, collaborative environment developing research, design, and computational skills to enhance their capacity for critical and creative thinking while honing digital media design and production skills in a range of digital arts, studio art, digital design, and coding courses. Students are encouraged to engage and collaborate across the Penn State community with schools and colleges such as the School of Music, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture, the Eberly College of Science, the College of Engineering, and the Department of Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts. In the final year of study, students work rigorously on senior thesis projects guided by faculty mentors in one of three emphasis areas: digital art and digital design, animation and time-based media, and interactive media and games.

For more information, please visit: Digital Arts and Media Design at Penn State

About the School of Visual Arts

The School of Visual Arts (SoVA) at Penn State offer undergraduate degrees in Art Education (B.S.), Digital Arts (B.A., B.Des., B.F.A.), Studio Art (BA, BFA) and Photography (B.A., B.Des., B.F.A.) at our residential campus, and a fully online degree in Digital Multimedia Design (B.Des.) and Digital Arts certificate at World Campus. At the graduate level, we offer an M.F.A. in Art (Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Graphic Design, Digital Arts and New Media, Photography, and Sculpture), and dual M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Art Education with African American and Diaspora Studies, or Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

SoVA’s mission aim:

• To contribute to the expansion of knowledge and scholarship in the visual arts, design, arts pedagogy, and related fields of study and practice.
• To facilitate the highest level of creative and intellection pursuit for students through teaching and learning experiences and opportunities.
• To provide expertise to the service and benefit of communities across campus, the commonwealth, the nation, and beyond.
• SoVA will be a safe space for creatively engaged minds and bodies. This community will operate in a cohesive and supportive manner to engender transformative experiences.

For more information, please visit Penn State School of Visual Arts

About the College of Arts and Architecture

The College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, located on the University Park campus in beautiful central Pennsylvania, is the hub for arts and design education, outreach, and engagement, where new ways of thinking are encouraged and interdisciplinary collaboration is the norm. With academic programs spanning music, theatre, visual arts, graphic design, digital design, art history, architecture, and landscape architecture, we are a complete arts and design community committed to artistic and scholarly creativity, research, and the preparation of creators and educators whose innovation and industriousness make a positive impact around the world.

We offer a broad array of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as numerous ensembles and clubs open to all students regardless of major. The Center for the Performing Arts, Palmer Museum of Art, Penn State Centre Stage, and Penn’s Woods Music Festival – also part of the college – are key organizations in the area’s thriving cultural landscape, offering performances, exhibitions, and educational outreach programs that are enjoyed by thousands each year. In addition, the college’s research centers and institutes help to foster a vibrant culture of inquiry that promotes excellence within the arts and design disciplines, while at the same time leveraging the potential of a comprehensive research university.

College of Arts and Architecture faculty are dedicated to providing high-quality professional instruction to graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the college. They also are responsible for providing undergraduate literature, history, and studio courses in the arts for all students at Penn State.

The college is housed in sixteen buildings in the “Arts District” on the University Park campus. Learn more about our extensive facilities.

Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture proudly serves as one of the major cultural centers between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

BENEFITS

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional wellbeing. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive. We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission.

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