Tenure-Track: Assistant Professor of Scenic and Technical Design

Texas A&M University•College Station, TX

About The Position

Texas A&M University’s College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts (PVFA) invites applications for a full-time, 9-month tenure-track Assistant Professor of Scenic and Technical Design in the Dance, Music, Theatre, & Performance section. The anticipated start date is August 1, 2027. The position seeks an artist-scholar whose work explores how emerging technologies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovative modes of performance enhance and expand live theatre and performance. The successful candidate will demonstrate potential for scholarly achievement and for developing a nationally and internationally recognized creative works and/or research agenda focused on interdisciplinary, virtual or hybrid, media-integrated, and devised performance. The candidate will pursue external funding and disseminate work through recognized scholarly outcomes, including performances, exhibitions, publications, presentations, software systems, or patents. The position is expected to contribute to the national and international visibility of PVFA and the Virtual Production Institute (VPI). The candidate will teach undergraduate courses in stage, scenic, virtual, and technical design; advise and mentor graduate students; design for the theatre program season; mentor theatrical design students; participate in collaborative activities with VPI; and serve the professional community. Areas of expertise may include scenic and visual design for live entertainment; digital integration and virtual stage design; interactive and participatory stages; remote and hybrid productions and mixed-reality performance; automation, robotics, and multimodal interaction; and site-specific augmented installations. PVFA was formed in 2022 at Texas A&M University, bringing together the Department of Visualization, the Department of Performance Studies, and the Dance Science Program. The college is structured without departments, with faculty sections and academic programs at the college level, and emphasizes collaboration and interdisciplinary scholarly and creative research. It offers degree programs in visualization, visual computing and interactive media, music, dance, and theatre, and operates at the main campus in Bryan-College Station and at Texas A&M–Fort Worth. Its facilities support work at the intersection of arts and emerging technology. The position aligns with the mission of the Virtual Production Institute, formed in 2023 as a technology-focused ecosystem for teaching, learning, and research. The VPI develops emerging applications and a skilled workforce for virtual reality, augmented reality, sensors, projectors, and computing across disciplines and industries. Its facilities in Bryan-College Station and Fort Worth include a performance-capture and sound stage with supporting technology studio classrooms.

Requirements

Terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or equivalent) in Scenic Design, Production Design, Theatre Design, Performance Design, or a related field; ABD candidates may be considered if they demonstrate clear progress toward completion.
Demonstrated potential for nationally and internationally recognized research and/or creative activity.
Expertise in scenic design and live performance environments.
Evidence of collaborative and interdisciplinary creative practice.
Experience incorporating emerging technologies into performance design or production.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Research or creative work focused on immersive, virtual, hybrid, media-integrated, or devised performance.
Experience with mixed reality, virtual production, interactive performance systems, or digital performance technologies.
Record of external funding, industry partnerships, or sponsored creative projects.
Experience building interdisciplinary collaborations across the arts and beyond.
Professional recognition through publications, exhibitions, performances, commissions, patents, software systems, or other scholarly and creative outputs.
Evidence of successful teaching and student mentorship.

Responsibilities

Develop a creative works and/or research agenda centered on interdisciplinary, virtual or hybrid, media-integrated, and devised performance.
Pursue external funding opportunities.
Disseminate work through performances, exhibitions, publications, presentations, software systems, patents, or other recognized scholarly outcomes.
Contribute to the national and international visibility of PVFA and the Virtual Production Institute.
Teach undergraduate courses in stage, scenic, virtual, and technical design.
Advise and mentor graduate students.
Design for the theatre program season.
Mentor theatrical design students.
Participate in collaborative activities with the Virtual Production Institute.
Serve the professional community.