Faculty Position in Game Design & Development
Assistant or Associate Professor in Game Design and Development
Michigan State University
Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media
Creative-Research Activity
Candidates will be expected to gain visibility through juried game designs (exhibits at peer reviewed venues; commercial or nonprofit distribution; conference presentations; awards) and/or peer-reviewed publications. Candidates will be encouraged to pursue external funding to support their creative and research activity, which may result in reduced teaching load.
Teaching
Candidates are expected to teach two courses a semester including core courses in the game design and development undergraduate specialization and in the serious games design M.A. track. Candidates are also expected to advise graduate students on projects and theses.
Qualifications
Terminal degree in a related field.
Required
Electronic portfolio of creative work (must include games) and vita including 3 references.
Desired
Industry experience related to serious games or games for entertainment. Teaching experience.
Appointment
Academic year, tenure stream.
To Apply
Consideration of applications begins December 1, 2007. Search closes when a suitable candidate is hired. Duties begin August 16, 2008. Email (preferred) or snail mail cover letter, curriculum vita including three personal references, electronic creative portfolio (2 copies if using physical medium or URL if online), and evidence of teaching experience to:
Carrie Heeter, Committee Chair
Game Design and Development Faculty Search
Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media
Room 409, Communication Arts and Sciences Building
Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824-1212
E-mail: heeter@msu.edu
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media
The TISM Department (http://tc.msu.edu) has an international reputation in a number of areas. Faculty specializing in games, video, audio, 3D/VR, HCI, and multimedia constitute the media arts faculty (http://dmat.msu.edu), working alongside social effects, policy, business, economics, and information system scholars. BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees are offered. Collaborative interest in serious games, gaming, and media arts is also strong in related departments within the college and outside of the college, including education, computer science, and music departments.
TISM offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate specialization in game design and development (http://gamedesign.msu.edu) and a serious games design track (http://seriousgames.msu.edu) in its M.A. program.
Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab
The GEL Lab
(http://gel.msu.edu) is an association of game research and design faculty and students at Michigan State University, primarily in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. The mission of the GEL Lab is to design innovative prototypes, techniques, and complete games for entertainment and learning and to advance state of the art knowledge about the social and individual effects of digital games.
Communication Technology Laboratory
The Comm Tech Lab (http://commtechlab.msu.edu) is an association of MSU faculty who create innovative learning experiences that elegantly integrate technology. Through externally funded projects the Comm Tech Lab develops meaningful, emotionally appealing projects and research prototypes and invents new media genres. Rather than programming software, the lab approach is: "we design experiences.”
New Media Center
The Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media is home to a New Media Center digital media arts and technology teaching laboratory, as well as numerous other college-wide computer laboratories, television and radio studios.
Media Interface and Network Design (M.I.N.D.) Labs
The Media Interface and Network Design Labs (http://www.mindlab.org) are a network of human-computer interaction research labs focused on the interaction of mind and media, especially regarding ways in which media can be better adapted and tailored to the mind. Facilities include virtual reality and augmented reality systems, computer graphics work stations, and various forms of research measurement equipment.
College of Communication Arts and Sciences
The department is in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences (http://cas.msu.edu), which was the nation's very first college of communication. Today, it remains an innovative and leading international center for all forms of research and teaching on human communication: TISM; Communication (interpersonal, organizational, and social effects); Communicative Sciences and Disorders; Advertising, Public Relation, and Retailing; and Journalism.
Michigan State University
Founded in 1855 Michigan State University (http://www.msu.edu) is situated in East Lansing, a pleasant university town just on the border of Lansing, the Michigan state capitol. The Michigan State University campus is quite large with over 5000 acres of land and 150 major buildings. The campus is home to over 40,000 students from all continents and about 4000 faculty and staff. The cost of living is very reasonable.
MSU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. 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.