Assistant Professor (Tenure-System): Computational/Media Arts and User-Experience Design

The Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University invites applications for a tenure-system assistant professor with expertise at the intersection of the computational/media arts and user-experience design.

Potential areas of research and creative practice include interface politics, ethics of computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, critical UI/UX, feminist data studies and feminist HCI, decoloniality in computing/tech, physical computing, computer vision and the politics of surveillance, net art, tactical media, and robotics.

This position lies within the cross-disciplinary mission of the Experience Architecture (XA) degree program, which is a collaboration between the Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) and the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) and one of the fastest-growing majors in the College of Arts and Letters. The expected time percentage for this position is 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% service.

We seek a motivated artist-scholar and teacher to play a key role in the ongoing curricular development of the XA major and to shape the future of AAHD. The normal teaching load will be 2-2, with the majority of teaching contributing to the XA major and Electronic Art and Intermedia area. The faculty member will also have opportunities for advising and teaching in AAHD’s MFA program. Through a synthesis of teaching and research, this faculty member will strengthen the connection between media art and design across the college, stretch the capabilities of students, and help to develop the XA program as an intellectual center in the College of Arts and Letters. The faculty member will be expected to participate in shared governance activities within the Department, the College, and the University.

This faculty position will be centered in the Electronic Art and Intermedia area within AAHD, but require significant engagement with the XA program. The ideal candidate will use this role as a jumping-off point for connections across the institution as part of their research and teaching practices. Additional cross-campus faculty affiliations are possible depending on candidate’s expertise.

To apply please go to: http://careers.msu.edu/cw/en-us/job/502556/assistant-professortenure-system or to careers.msu.edu and search for position #612678.

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Qualified applicants should submit:

Cover letter;
Current curriculum vitae;
Portfolio of creative practice in .pdf format with links, when appropriate;
Teaching philosophy that highlights alignment with this appointment;
Research statement;
Portfolio of student work (up to 20 images/videos/texts);
A summary of your experiences advancing diversity, equity, and justice in your classroom, outreach initiatives, and/or research endeavors; experience mentoring diverse students and/or faculty; and, an explanation of how you will advance our goals of inclusive excellence;
Names and email addresses of 3 potential references;

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Review of applications will begin November 15, 2019 and will continue until the position is filled. Applications must be submitted electronically to the Michigan State University Human Resources web site http://careers.msu.edu/.

For more information, contact Zachary Kaiser, Chair of the Search Committee, at kaiserza@msu.edu. For more information about the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, go to http://art.msu.edu. For more information about the Experience Architecture Program, visit http://xa.cal.msu.edu.

Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation.

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The Department of Art, Art History, and Design’s overall mission is to promote the practice and scholarly research of the most enduring creative media and innovation using the latest technology, theory, and the investigation of rich interdisciplinary intersections. Serving over 450 majors, the department is home to more than 60 faculty and staff, including 26 tenure system faculty members who are committed to active research agendas and creative practice across a range of art and design fields. AAHD is also home to a newly redesigned and highly competitive MFA program, which fully funds all of its graduate students. For more information about the department, visit art.msu.edu. For more information about the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, go to http://art.msu.edu.

Combining design, professional and public writing, philosophy and critical theory, computing, and media art, the Experience Architecture (XA) undergraduate degree program is a cross-disciplinary, values-driven program engaging UX as a vehicle for future change agents. The XA program attracts students who want to make technologies that are usable, accessible, and sustainable, and the program empowers students to design a world in which they would want to participate. For more information about the Experience Architecture program, go to http://xa.cal.msu.edu/.

The College of Arts & Letters recognizes that only an academic and organizational culture which actively seeks out and strengthens diverse voices and perspectives among its members results in true excellence. We are an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. The College of Arts & Letters is particularly interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that intellectual leadership is achieved through open access and pro-active inclusion.

MSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. MSU is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans and persons with disabilities.

About:

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.