Teaching Assistant Professor or Clinical Assistant Professor, Computer Animation

The School of Art & Design (A&D) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a full-time, non-tenure-system Teaching Assistant Professor or Clinical Assistant Professor in Computer Animation within the Studio Art Program. We seek an accomplished artist-educator and/or creative practitioner whose work engages animation as a form of artistic expression, storytelling, image-making, and contemporary studio practice.

This position offers an opportunity to contribute to and expand animation-related teaching and creative practice within an interdisciplinary Studio Art program. We are looking for a versatile practitioner who brings substantial expertise in animation while engaging meaningfully with the broader artistic, technological, and cultural contexts of the School. The successful candidate will contribute to student interests in animation while developing curricular connections between animation and drawing, illustration, painting, 3D practice, interaction, game development, and other forms of contemporary studio art.

Animation at Illinois is situated within a broad studio-art environment rather than a standalone animation production program. We are particularly interested in candidates who understand animation as both a technical and artistic practice that can intersect with drawing, sequential art, illustration, painting, digital image-making, 3D practice, interactive media, computational art, games, and other forms of visual and time-based practice.

The position's primary home will be the Studio Art Program in the School of Art & Design. The successful candidate will also have opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in the School of Information Sciences through the interdisciplinary Game Studies & Design programs, including the Master of Science in Game Development and undergraduate Game Studies & Design minor. These connections offer students additional avenues for exploring animation in interactive and game-related contexts while maintaining the position's clear curricular and intellectual home in Studio Art.

About the College of Fine and Applied Arts

The College of Fine and Applied Arts (FAA) is singular in the nation for its diversity, innovation and breadth. Its mission is dedicated to the advancement, practice, and understanding of the arts, and its central focus is the synergy between research and the preparation of students for professional careers in the creation and interpretation of the environmental, visual, and performing arts. Deeply related to that focus is the commitment to elevate and sustain the study of the arts as both a necessary mode of understanding and a vibrant expression of human experience within the local, national, and international communities.

The college comprises the Schools of Music, Architecture, and Art & Design; Departments of Dance, Landscape Architecture, Theatre, and Urban and Regional Planning; Sustainable Design: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; Krannert Art Museum; and Japan House. FAA employs more than 660 faculty members and staff, including more than 150 tenure system faculty members, and more than 1,850 undergraduate and 635 graduate students enroll in FAA’s more than 30 majors and 10 minors.

About the School of Art & Design

Located within the College of Fine and Applied Arts, A&D is home to a diverse and vibrant community of artists, designers, educators, and historians. We support interdisciplinary and socially engaged creative practices and offer a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Our Studio Art program emphasizes both technical excellence and conceptual rigor, encouraging students to explore the intersections of art, technology, and culture.

The School's interdisciplinary environment provides opportunities for artists working across media and disciplines. Existing areas of Studio Art include illustration, painting, photo, 3D practice, interaction and critical technologies, fashion, printmaking, and performance, creating a rich context in which animation-related teaching and creative practices can intersect with and contribute to established studio disciplines.

For more about the School of Art & Design and its programs, visit art.illinois.edu.

About the Position

This search welcomes candidates whose preparation comes through different professional and educational pathways.

Candidates with terminal degrees or equivalent expertise and experience, along with demonstrated records or potential for strong instructional contributions, may be considered for appointment as Teaching Assistant Professor. Candidates whose qualifications are grounded in substantial professional practice and specialized expertise may be considered for appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor. Both are full-time specialized faculty appointments contributing to the teaching mission of the School.

The successful candidate will contribute to animation-related teaching and creative practice within Studio Art at Illinois, supporting current offerings and exploring opportunities for future curricular development. This includes teaching existing interdisciplinary studio courses, contributing to animation-related curriculum and course development as appropriate, mentoring students across levels of experience, and contributing to the intellectual and creative life of the School.

We are seeking an educator who can balance technical and production knowledge with artistic development, conceptual thinking, critical inquiry, and experimentation. The successful candidate should be comfortable working with students who enter animation from different disciplinary backgrounds and with varying levels of technical experience.

Areas of Expertise

We welcome candidates working across a broad range of animation practices, including but not limited to:

· 2D animation, including traditional, digital, and hybrid approaches

· 3D animation, modeling, rendering, rigging, and related practices

· Character, environment, and visual development

· Motion graphics and time-based media

· Experimental, independent, and expanded forms of animation

· Visual effects and compositing

· Storyboarding, sequential art, and visual narrative

· Animation for games, film, television, VFX, or other media

· Interactive and game-engine-based animation

· Procedural, generative, or computational approaches to animation

· Emerging forms of digital and computational image-making

Candidates need not demonstrate expertise in all of these areas. We are particularly interested in candidates who demonstrate depth in animation production alongside the adaptability and breadth needed to work across an interdisciplinary studio-art environment.

Experience with software and platforms such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal Engine, or comparable tools is welcome. We also welcome candidates whose practices engage emerging technologies and evolving forms of digital image-making.

Teaching and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The successful candidate's primary appointment will be within the Studio Art Program in A&D. They will contribute to animation-related curriculum while participating fully in the broader teaching and intellectual life of the interdisciplinary Studio Art program.

Studio Art already provides strong opportunities for students interested in animation to develop related practices in areas such as illustration, drawing, sequential art, painting, 3D practice, interaction, printmaking, and time based media. The successful candidate will build on these existing strengths rather than duplicate them.

The candidate will also have opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in the School of Information Sciences through Game Studies & Design, including the Master of Science in Game Development and undergraduate Game Studies & Design minor. These connections may provide additional opportunities for students interested in animation, games, interactive storytelling, and related technologies.

Potential areas of interdisciplinary connection include:

• Illustration and sequential art
• Drawing and digital image-making
• Painting and mixed media
• 3D modeling and imaging
• Interaction and interactive media
• Time-based practices
• Computational and generative art
• Game development and interactive storytelling
• Narrative and world-building
• Emerging technologies and visual culture

The successful candidate may propose or develop new courses in animation and related areas as curricular needs and resources permit. Depending on expertise and program needs, teaching may also include existing courses in illustration, drawing, digital image-making, interaction, time-based media, interdisciplinary studio and seminar courses, and graduate studio.

Qualifications for Teaching Assistant Professor

Required Qualifications

• Terminal degree or equivalent expertise and experience in animation, studio art, illustration, digital media, game development, computational media, or a related field
• Demonstrated professional, artistic, or creative practice in animation or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience teaching or mentoring students in academic and/or professional settings
• Demonstrated expertise in at least one major area of animation production, such as 2D animation, 3D animation, motion graphics, visual effects, or related time-based media

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated depth in 2D and/or 3D animation with the ability to teach animation production at the undergraduate level
• Professional or production experience working through animation workflows that extend into post-production, including compositing, editing, visual effects, rendering, or related processes
• Technical fluency with contemporary animation and digital production tools and workflows
• Experience connecting animation practice to broader artistic, conceptual, cultural, technological, or critical contexts
• Ability to teach and mentor students within an interdisciplinary studio-art environment
• Experience working across animation and related areas such as illustration, 3D practice, interactive media, games, or emerging technologies

Qualifications for Clinical Assistant Professor

Required Qualifications

· Substantial professional experience in animation, digital media, games, visual effects, film, television, or a related creative field

· Demonstrated professional expertise in at least one major area of animation production, such as 2D animation, 3D animation, motion graphics, visual effects, or related time-based media

· Demonstrated technical fluency with relevant animation, digital, and/or post-production workflows

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional production experience in 2D and/or 3D animation, particularly within studio, commercial, independent, freelance, or other collaborative production environments
• Experience with animation post-production processes, including compositing, editing, visual effects, rendering, or related workflows
• Demonstrated experience teaching or mentoring students in academic and/or professional settings
• Ability to translate professional production expertise into an effective, inclusive, and exploratory educational environment
• Experience connecting professional animation practice to related areas such as illustration, 3D practice, interactive media, games, or emerging technologies
• Demonstrated ability to situate professional and creative practice within broader artistic, cultural, technological, and critical contexts

Professional experience may include work in commercial studios, independent practice, freelance or commissioned production, games, film, television, VFX, interactive media, emerging media, or other relevant creative fields.

Creative and Pedagogical Perspectives

We welcome applicants whose creative and pedagogical practices expand or challenge dominant narratives in animation and related media. This may include work that engages underrepresented histories, global perspectives, emergent media, experimental practices, or innovative modes of storytelling and image-making.

We are particularly interested in candidates whose teaching and creative practices demonstrate sensitivity to a wide range of cultural frameworks, lived experiences, and ways of knowing.

We seek educators who can help students develop not only technical proficiency, but also distinctive artistic voices, conceptual frameworks, critical perspectives, and approaches to making. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to create learning environments in which students can experiment, take creative risks, engage in critique, and understand animation within broader contexts of art, culture, technology, and contemporary life.

Application Materials

Required application materials include:

• Cover letter
• Please describe your creative and teaching practices and how they could contribute to animation-related teaching and creative practice within an interdisciplinary Studio Art program.
• Please discuss potential connections between your practice and areas such as illustration, painting, 3D practice, interaction, computational media, and/or game studies.
• Candidates may also use the cover letter to describe how their professional, artistic, or educational background prepares them for either the Teaching Assistant Professor or Clinical Assistant Professor pathway.
• Curriculum vitae
• Teaching statement
• Portfolio of creative work
• Please submit materials that provide a clear representation of your creative practice and its range. Applicants may submit a PDF portfolio, a link to an online portfolio, a demo reel, or a combination of these formats. For applicants working in animation and other time-based media, a demo reel is encouraged. Portfolios may include finished works as well as relevant process materials such as storyboards, animation stills, visual development, or other examples that help contextualize the work. Please identify your role in collaborative or professionally produced work when appropriate.
• Samples of student work, if available
• Names and contact information for three references

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time, nine-month Teaching Assistant Professor or Clinical Assistant Professor appointment (paid over 12 months), with an initial one-year appointment that may be renewed subject to programmatic needs and available resources. The expected start date is August 16, 2027.

The salary range for the position is $65,000–$70,000. We strive to provide a competitive salary, considering factors such as available market data, internal equity, candidate’s experience and qualifications, and budget constraints.

This position is eligible for sponsorship except for sponsorship of a new H1B petition that would incur the $100,000 fee.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00pm (Central Time) on December 15, 2026.

Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered.

For further information about this specific position, please contact Bobbie Clegg at bjclegg@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.