We’re hiring for a senior faculty member in Computational Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz to help us continue to define and grow the field. We value a wide range of research (technical, creative, critical) and seek a colleague with contributions to serious/applied games.
More information below and here:
https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF00784
It’s important to meet the next review date (Tuesday, Jan 7, 2020) if you want the committee to be sure to get your file. Also, I’m head of the search committee, so please feel free to reach out to me with questions.
Best,
Noah Wardrip-Fruin (nwf@soe.ucsc.edu)
—
University of California, Santa Cruz
Computational Media: Associate or Full Professor in Serious Games (Initial Review 1/07/20)
RECRUITMENT PERIOD
Open date: November 8th, 2019
Next review date: Tuesday, Jan 7, 2020 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Tuesday, Jun 30, 2020 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
DESCRIPTION
The Department of Computational Media (https://www.soe.ucsc.edu/departments/computational-media) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for a tenured (up to Full Professor) position in Serious Games. We seek a senior Computational Media researcher who works in game technology, games user experience, game design and development, efficacy evaluation, critical media making, game artificial intelligence, interactive narrative, novel interface technologies, virtual reality, augmented reality, procedural content generation, game software engineering, agent architectures for game characters, game analytics and visualization, natural language generation and dialog systems for games, platform studies, automated analysis of games, scholarly interpretation, and/or another computational media approach. This work should include a significant contribution to serious/applied games, in an area such as, but not limited to: games for change, games for health, educational games/training games, activist/organizing games, gamification, citizen science games, data collection games, games for government, tools for democratizing game-based expression, and human computation games.
The Computational Media Department is dedicated to the creation, enhancement, and study of media forms where computational processes enable deeply interactive and generative experiences. As a pioneering department, we are looking for new faculty who are excited to help us define and grow this emerging area. The department emphasizes the construction of technologies that make possible novel media experiences, while simultaneously embracing and engaging in theoretical and practical approaches from the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The department offers a BS in Computer Game Design and an MS and PhD in Computational Media, in addition to the professional degrees described below. The Computational Media Department is located within the Baskin School of Engineering of the University of California, Santa Cruz, which has a long history of embracing groundbreaking interdisciplinary work.
The successful candidate is expected to enact a research program, advise PhD and MS students in their research area, advise professional MS students on their projects and career aspirations, obtain external funding, develop and teach courses within the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, perform university, public, and professional service, and be able to work with students, faculty, and staff from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. The successful candidate is expected to be appointed as the Vice Chair of Computational Media for the Serious Games MS program, and in that role will direct and lead the program. The Vice Chair will teach in the program, work as a bridge between the substantial games research at UC Santa Cruz and this professional program, and serve as the program’s representative and advocate in the Senate faculty.
UC Santa Cruz values diversity, equity, and inclusion and is committed to hiring faculty who share these values. To be considered, candidates must demonstrate an understanding of the barriers facing women and underrepresented minorities, and describe their experience and future plans to promote equity and inclusion in teaching, mentoring, and research. Financial and in-kind resources will be made available to faculty who promote equity and inclusion at UC Santa Cruz, and their work will be recognized as important university service during the faculty promotion process.
This position is one part of a departmental growth plan associated with the just-launched Professional MS program in Serious Games, ongoing Professional MS program in Games and Playable Media, and proposed Professional MS program in Human-Computer Interaction, all located in the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus in Santa Clara, California. The primary office for this position is located in Santa Clara, due to the expectation of teaching and mentoring students in this location. Space for PhD students for this position is also located in Santa Clara. This position is expected to spend multiple days per week in Santa Clara, and is also expected to spend on average one day per week on the Santa Cruz campus (more during Santa Cruz teaching quarters). Teaching duties will typically involve teaching two courses per year (the Vice Chair position carries a course release) which will typically be two graduate classes each year in Santa Clara, though in some years may involve teaching one class in Santa Cruz. The successful candidate must have the ability for on-demand transportation between Santa Clara and Santa Cruz with or without accommodations.
The UC Santa Cruz campus is located approximately 75 miles from San Francisco and 35 miles from the heart of Silicon Valley. The campus comprises two thousand acres of forested hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay with one of the most visually spectacular settings in higher education. In 2016-17, the Times Higher Education ranked UC Santa Cruz 4th in research influence.
The UCSC Silicon Valley Campus is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the worldwide epicenter for industry and innovation in games and information technology. The location affords extensive consulting opportunities and avenues for collaborative research with industry. Opened in 2016, the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus features contemporary interior design with multiple classrooms, computer labs, and project rooms, along with an event center and television studio.
ACADEMIC TITLE
Associate or Full Professor, Tenured.
SALARY
Commensurate with qualifications and experience; academic year (nine-month basis).
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
PhD, equivalent foreign degree, or other terminal degree in Computer Science, Digital Media, Human Computer Interaction, Computer Games, Computational Media, or other relevant field; demonstrated record of research; demonstrated record of publications; demonstrated experience in teaching and/or mentoring in a research context such as a university, national lab, or research group within a company; a demonstrated record of research funding; and, a demonstrated record of University and/or public service.
POSITION AVAILABLE
July 1, 2020, with the academic year beginning in September 2020.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Applications are accepted via the UCSC Academic Recruit online system; all documents and materials must be submitted as PDFs.
APPLY AT https://recruit.ucsc.edu/apply/JPF00784
Please refer to Position # JPF00784-20 in all correspondence.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please visit: https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF00784