Assistant Professor of Illustration (T/TE)

The University of Arizona•Tucson, AZ

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Arizona School of Art invites applications for a full-time, tenure-eligible Assistant Professor to join the Illustration, Design, and Animation (IDA) program. The position primarily serves undergraduate students pursuing the BFA in IDA and also contributes to the Design Arts Practice BA and interdisciplinary MFA programs. The successful candidate will maintain an active professional practice emphasizing illustration as a tool for visual storytelling and demonstrate effective teaching and mentorship with students from varied backgrounds. The role includes teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in traditional and digital media and helping evolve the IDA curriculum. The faculty member will strengthen storytelling and visual communication as foundational practices for illustrators, designers, animators, and interdisciplinary collaborators. The position also emphasizes community-engaged practices, broadly including social practice, public pedagogy and scholarship, community-based art, community arts organizations, arts activism, engagement with place, and borderlands concepts and theories. Applicants are asked to describe how their creative practice, teaching, and/or research would support community within the College of Fine Arts and the University. This is a tenure-track faculty position at the University of Arizona in Tucson. It is full-time, with a 1.0 FTE and 40 hours per week, and includes full benefits. The target hire date is August 2, 2027. Review begins November 9, 2026, with priority consideration for applications submitted by that date; the position remains open until filled. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

MFA in Illustration, Design, Writing, or a related area.
Evidence of professional practice/client-based work.
Evidence of a professional illustration or client-based practice.

Nice To Haves

Teaching experience beyond graduate teaching assistantships.
Community-engaged teaching, professional, or creative practice experience.
Demonstrated cross-cultural communication skills and experience working with various communities.
A record of teaching and mentoring students in a range of narrative and sequential visual practices.
Experience in one or more of the following: narrative illustration and sequential art, including graphic novels, comics, picture books, artists’ books, visual poetry, and zines; time-based and moving image, including animation, motion graphics, film, and video; or illustration for information and specialized audiences, including scientific and medical illustration, editorial illustration, and data visualization.

Responsibilities

Teach two 3-credit courses per semester and foster an engaging, supportive learning environment that promotes student success.
Maintain an active professional practice in illustration, design, animation, and/or related fields, demonstrating national-level achievement appropriate for promotion and tenure at an R1 university.
Contribute to the development of the illustration, design, and animation curriculum so coursework responds to professional practices, emerging technologies, and student needs and interests.
Participate in service at the division, school, college, university, and professional levels.
Contribute to student recruitment, outreach, retention, and advisement.
Teach and mentor students, supporting their creative development, professional goals, and career preparation.
Serve on graduate review and thesis committees to support students’ academic progress and professional development.
Supervise and mentor graduate teaching assistants and technicians.

Benefits

Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Disability programs
Sick leave
Holidays
Tuition reduction at U of A, ASU, and NAU for the employee and qualified family members
Retirement plans
Access to U of A recreation and cultural activities
Work-life programs