Assistant Teaching Professor of Digital Animation

University of Colorado•Denver, CO

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Colorado Denver’s College of Arts & Media is hiring a full-time, non-tenure-track Assistant Teaching Professor of Digital Animation in the Visual Arts Department. The position is based in the Digital Animation Center and the BFA in Fine Arts program, with an emphasis in 3D Graphics and Animation. The appointment is scheduled to begin in August 2027 and requires a 3-3 teaching load. Continuation is based on merit/performance, budget, and enrollment. The role includes teaching undergraduate courses across the Digital Animation curriculum, maintaining an active scholarly and/or creative practice, and contributing service to the department and wider community. The successful candidate may develop new courses in their area of expertise as the curriculum and industry practice evolve. Areas of interest include virtual production, real-time lighting and rendering, layout and previsualization, motion capture, visual effects, and technical art. The program’s three-semester capstone simulates a studio pipeline, with student teams producing animated shorts. Teaching accounts for 80% of the position, research/creative practice for 10%, and service for 10%. Teaching responsibilities include preparing course materials, evaluating student work, tracking attendance and engagement, managing courses in Canvas, maintaining office hours, and collaborating with colleagues on curriculum development. The position requires an on-campus presence for teaching, student mentoring, and departmental engagement. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required for departmental events, screenings, or industry guest events.

Requirements

Either an MFA or other terminal degree in animation, film, digital arts, visual effects, game art, or a related field and at least 3 years of significant professional experience in the animation, film, game, or related industry; or a bachelor’s degree and at least 5 years of significant professional experience in that industry.
At least 1 year of successful college-level teaching, which may be in animation, modeling, look development, post-production, pre-production, narrative development, or interactive/real-time/game production.
Experience with industry-standard digital content creation applications, including Maya and Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop and Premiere.
An online portfolio or demo reel demonstrating professional-quality work in the applicant’s area of expertise, with a breakdown of the applicant’s role in each piece.
Knowledge of the 3D animation production pipeline from story and previsualization through layout, lighting, rendering, and post-production.
Depth in at least one area of the pipeline, such as cinematography and layout, lighting and rendering, rigging, technical art, visual effects, or real-time production.
Working knowledge of industry-standard 3D software and real-time engines such as Unreal or Unity, or willingness to learn and teach them.
Ability to teach and work with a diverse student body and to communicate positively and effectively across modalities.
Experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with a diverse population at all levels of the institution and in the community.
Willingness to explore and teach new tools and trends in animation and real-time production.
Ability to create equitable and positive experiences for all and contribute to a respectful, positive, and professional workspace.
Ability to mentor student teams, work independently, and apply broad knowledge of animation history, film, and contemporary visual storytelling.

Nice To Haves

4 or more years of college-level teaching experience.
6 or more years of professional experience in animation, visual effects, games, virtual production, or a related field.
Professional credits on released film, television, game, or commercial productions, or another demonstrable record of accomplishment in creative research and practice, such as festival screenings or exhibitions.
Experience working in or teaching a collaborative studio production pipeline.

Responsibilities

Teach three classes per semester (9 credit hours), for a total of six classes per academic year (18 credit hours).
Teach required and elective undergraduate courses in the Digital Animation curriculum, potentially including Digital Cinematography, Introduction to Unreal Engine, Creating Visual Story: Narrative Techniques and Visual Design, DAC: Preproduction for Story, and International Perspectives through Animation.
Develop new or revised courses in the candidate’s area of expertise as curriculum and industry practice change.
Prepare course syllabi, lectures, presentations, and student assignments; evaluate student work; track attendance and engagement; and manage courses in Canvas.
Maintain office hours and meet with Digital Animation colleagues to refine curriculum in response to current industry practice.
Attend Visual Arts Faculty and College of Arts & Media meetings.
Maintain an active scholarly and/or creative practice in animation, film, games, or a related field.
Contribute to department functions and operations as directed by the department chair and in collaboration with the senior associate dean.
Represent the university, college, department, and students in the broader community.
Mentor student teams working toward shared production deadlines and perform other duties and projects as requested.