What are the responsibilities and job description for the Open-Rank Professor of Interactive Media and Games - Game Art and Animation position at School of Cinematic Arts?
The Interactive Media & Games Division within USC's School of Cinematic Arts is seeking a candidate for a tenure/tenure track or non-tenure track faculty position in the field of Interactive Media and Games with a specialty in art direction and creation for video games and real-time graphics engines. Initial rank and track will be commensurate with qualifications and accomplishments.
We are looking for an experienced lead artist or animator with experience in video games and a record of teaching or mentorship at the university level. Candidates should have established competence working with real-time digital art, and be able to mentor and critically teach students to create usable, high-quality assets and establish best practices in the quickly growing field of real-time animation.
Our program is a vibrant and exciting community of designers, scholars and researchers, committed to the advancement of the digital arts, and it is situated within a larger school dedicated to the craft of storytelling and user experience from diverse perspectives.
The position will teach game art courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level, with topics ranging from intermediate game animation to game concept art, skybox painting, and environmental modeling.
Advanced courses may follow research interests, including motion capture, procedural art, and interface design. The ideal candidate will have a graduate degree in Animation, Computer Science, or Game Development.
We will consider a range of candidates but are looking specifically for experienced candidates with backgrounds in art creation for the games industry. Rank of initial appointment will be commensurate with experience and accomplishments.
Minimum Education:
- Graduate Degree in Fine Art, Game Development, Software Engineering, Production Design or a related field.
Minimum Experience:
- Multiple shipped titles.
- Experience teaching or mentoring students in game development, art, or a related field.
- Experienced with interdisciplinary collaborations, working with designers, developers, artists, producers, etc.
- Good communication skills, project planning, and professional rigor and ethics.
- Demonstrated ability to work within diverse and inclusive communities of discourse and practice.
- Proficiency with industry-standard real-time art and content creation tools such as Blender, Autodesk Maya, ZBrush, and Substance 3D (Painter/Designer) or equivalent pipelines.
- Demonstrated ability to work with new and emerging technologies and methodologies.
Preferred Education:
- Terminal Degree in Fine Art, Game Development, Software Engineering, Production Design, or a related field.
Preferred Experience:
- 3 or more years teaching graduate and undergraduate classes in game
development, real-time animation, or fine art. - Familiarity with emerging AI-assisted art and content creation workflows, including hands-on experience with at least one or two widely used tools (e.g., Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Runway, or comparable platforms) and their application within game art pipelines.
The core salary range for this position is listed below. This is a 9-month full-time position, either tenure/tenure track or non-tenure track.
Non-tenure Track:
- Assistant Professor: 83k - 90k
- Associate Professor: 85k - 95k
- Full Professor: 90k - 110k
Tenure/Tenure Track:
- Assistant Professor: 90k - 100k
- Associate Professor: 110k - 135k
- Full Professor: 120k - 175k
When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, as well as external market and organizational considerations.