Visiting Assistant Professor, Game Design & Technical Art

New York Institute of Technology•Old Westbury, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

New York Institute of Technology's School of Architecture and Design is seeking a full-time Visiting Assistant Professor for the Department of Digital Art and Design, specializing in Game Design and Technical Art. This role is designed to support the expansion of academic programs, particularly the Game Design concentration. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, contributing to the development of students' skills in 3D production, animation, game design, real-time engines, and emerging creative technologies. The position aims to prepare students for technical artist and related roles within the game industry. Responsibilities extend to curriculum development, student mentoring, recruitment, retention, fostering industry partnerships, committee service, and contributing to the department's overall growth. The position requires teaching at both the New York City and Old Westbury campuses.

Requirements

MFA, MS, MA, or equivalent terminal/professional degree in a related field.
Minimum of three to five years of relevant professional experience in the game industry, technical art, real-time production, or a closely related field is strongly preferred.
Prior teaching experience at the college level is preferred.
Candidates with significant industry experience, strong communication skills, and demonstrated ability to mentor, train, or lead creative/technical teams are preferred.
Artistic, creative, design, and technical backgrounds, with experience in game design, technical art, real-time production, and game development pipelines.
Ability to bridge art and technology and help students understand how visual design, 3D assets, animation, lighting, materials, shaders, optimization, and interaction come together inside professional game production workflows.
Technical knowledge and proficiency with Unity and/or Unreal Engine is required.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of additional industry-standard tools and workflows is preferred, including Maya, Blender, Houdini, ZBrush, Substance, Adobe Creative Cloud, Cinema 4D, Nuke, motion capture, procedural tools, scripting, shaders, generative AI and AI-assisted creative workflows, and other commonly used software in game development and real-time production.
Ability to guide students who come from digital art, 3D production, animation, motion graphics, or design backgrounds and help them translate those skills into game industry-ready technical art portfolios.

Responsibilities

Teach courses in game design, technical art, real-time production, interactive media, and related areas.
Teach areas including game design fundamentals, level design, game production, Unity, Unreal Engine, Houdini for game art and technical art, 3D asset creation and integration, procedural workflows, lighting, materials, shaders, rigging, animation systems, scripting for artists, AI-assisted creative workflows, XR, and portfolio development.
Help students develop stronger, more competitive, industry-ready work and portfolios for technical artist and related game industry career pathways.
Support student showcases, game jams, collaborative projects, alumni and industry engagement, and the continued growth of the Game Design concentration.