"Assistant Professor of Practice - Emerging Media Arts: Animation"

Description of Work:

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Practice – Emerging Media Arts: Animation and Rigging to join our unique program.

We seek a creative individual with strong dedication to craft, technical expertise, and professional agility in a constantly changing field. We welcome applicants with backgrounds in film, television, game production, or gallery/museum installations. The successful candidate will have advanced experience in 3D animation workflows (film, television, games) and/or rigging, ideally with supplemental familiarity with game engines, and/or motion capture, and be able to creatively integrate traditional techniques with emerging technologies and platforms.

This position involves teaching courses in 3D Animation, Rigging, Motion Capture, and Game Engines. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic artist/teacher who is committed to training and inspiring the next generation of emerging media artists and storytellers.

The Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts is an interdisciplinary center and creative research facility within the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, established with a $57M investment from the Johnny Carson Foundation. Research areas include filmmaking, interactive and immersive storytelling, experience and generative design, XR, machine learning, sonic and data arts, virtual production, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Carson Center brings together world-class faculty and students to reimagine the future of media through inclusive, imaginative storytelling that addresses human-scale challenges, provokes and inspires. As the Center expands its international reach and collaborations, this is a unique opportunity to shape its growing mission.

Nebraska offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with the successful candidate's background and experience. Faculty status with opportunities for promotion in rank and sabbatical opportunities for continued learning and professional development are additional key benefits. This position comes with resources to support innovative teaching and creative practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Teach courses in 3D Animation, Rigging, Introduction to Game Engines, Motion Capture for Real-time Performance, and others as needed.
• Collaborate with faculty to develop new courses and curriculum with a focus towards interdisciplinarity.
• Provide mentorship to students.
• Recruit artist/industry partners and assist students transitioning into their careers.
• Remain agile and keep current with advancements in 3D animation, rigging, motion capture, game engine technologies, AI, and creative applications.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with at least five years of professional experience in 3D animation and/or rigging for film, television, games, or live performance workflows.
• Working career as an animator/artist represented through a body of work that has received theatrical, network, or streaming exhibition and/or national/international festival recognition.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in an equivalent arts-related field; OR in exceptional cases, significant professional credentials and experience in lieu of a terminal degree.
• Experience with game engines (Unity or Unreal) or other real-time performance systems.
• Experience in custom rigging for 3D animation and/or games.
• Experience with emerging forms of digital animation workflows, including AI and Machine Learning.
• Proficiencies in languages such as MEL (PyMEL), Python, C++, or C#.
• University teaching experience above the teaching assistant level; or equivalent experience in a non-university setting (Animation Mentor, Gnomon, VFS, etc.).
• A strong network of contacts with other industry professionals and employers.
• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development and the ability to stay at the edge of industry developments.

Job Type: 9 Month