Academic Professional Track (Non-Tenure): Associate Professor of Practice or Professor of Practice and Director - Virtual Production Institute

Description

The College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts at Texas A&M University invites applications for one (1) full-time Associate Professor or Professor [tenure review upon hire] or Associate Professor of Practice or Professor of Practice [academic professional track non-tenure accruing] depending on qualifications, for a 9-month appointment. The successful candidate will also hold an administrative appointment as Director of the Virtual Production Institute (VPI) that includes two months of summer salary for the duration of the administrative position. We are particularly interested in candidates with management experience in both industry and academia.

The successful applicant will lead the Institute’s mission in developing virtual production as an emerging academic discipline aligned for private-sector adoption and enable the research and creative work that propels adoption across multiple key industries including:

• media and entertainment,
• healthcare,
• military,
• manufacturing,
• aerospace

Successful candidates must demonstrate the capacity to sustain extramural partnerships and projects, teach undergraduate and graduate courses, advise and mentor graduate students, actively engage in the College's initiatives, and contribute to the broader professional community. Tenure stream applicants at any rank are required to establish and maintain an independent research program, academic professional-track applicants are not expected to but may engage in an independent research program.

Virtual Production Institute

The Virtual Production Institute (VPI) is a technology focused ecosystem designed for teaching, learning, research, and creative works.  The VPI’s mission is to develop emerging applications, and a skilled workforce needed for the use of virtual reality (immersion), augmented reality (hybrid of real-world and virtual objects), sensors, projectors, and computing across multiple sectors of the state’s economy.

The VPI is a technology-first approach that fuses the study and application of computer science, human-computer interaction, the visual arts and performing arts and media arts; all of which are impacted by advances in full-fidelity 3D graphics, custom visual computing tools, physics simulations, sensor inputs and autonomous systems.

Funding for the VPI, provided by the Texas Legislature and Texas A&M University, supports state-of-the art instrumentation required for a learning laboratory, designed as performance capture and sound stages with supporting technology studio classrooms. The infrastructure supports undergraduate and graduate degrees, 10 fulltime faculty, and dedicated staff.

The VPI, with integration partner Synapse VP, is in the process of equipping two facilities in Bryan/College Station and two in Fort Worth, Texas for virtual production. The on-campus teaching/prototyping volumes in each city provide direct access for students and faculty, as well as near campus access for industry partners. Proximity to media and entertainment companies in Austin and in Dallas/Fort Worth along with the simulation and training activities at the RELLIS campus in Bryan, Texas strengthen the VPI’s position in each location. Applicants should consult the institute’s website (https://vpi.tamu.edu/).

College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts

The VPI is housed in the College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts (PVFA) at Texas A&M University. The College’s strength is in merging art and science across a broad range of creative pursuits. PVFA has a diverse and dynamic mission with nearly 100 faculty and 30 staff members and significant growth expected in the next five years. The mission of PVFA places a heavy emphasis on faculty and student collaboration and interdisciplinary work in both scholarly and creative research. Texas A&M University leadership has charged the school with developing innovative research and creative works, public performances, and degree offerings at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels that build upon our strength in merging art and science, as well as the traditional fields of music, dance, art, and theater. Applicants should consult the college’s website to review our academic and research programs (https://pvfa.tamu.edu/).

Director of the VPI

The Director reports to the Dean of PVFA and is responsible for leading the institute in meeting its short-term goals and achieving its long-term mission. Responsibilities include outreach to sponsoring comp