California State University is hiring: Assistant Professor of Animation - Depart

Tenure-Track Faculty Position Announcement

Department: Art & Design

Faculty Hire Number: #25-38

Rank: Assistant Professor

Effective Date of Appointment: August 20, 2025 (Subject to Budgetary Approval)

Salary Scale: $88,000 to $93,000 (Dependent upon qualifications)

CSUN’s Commitment to You:

CSUN is committed to achieving excellence through teaching, scholarship, learning and inclusion. Our values include a respect for all people, building partnerships with the community and the encouragement of innovation, experimentation, and creativity. CSUN strives to cultivate a community in which a diverse population can learn and work in an atmosphere of civility and respect. CSUN is especially interested in candidates who make contributions to equity and inclusion in the pursuit of excellence for all members of the university community.

As a Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI), inclusiveness and diversity are integral to CSUN’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and engagement.

Position:

The Department of Art & Design at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is seeking a tenure track faculty member in the Animation and Game Area at the rank of Assistant Professor.

The successful candidate will teach beginning and advanced undergraduate Animation and Game Design courses with the ability to integrate animation techniques with emerging technologies and platforms. The successful candidate will stay current with new technology, continue to cultivate professional expertise, and maintain an active creative practice. We seek a candidate with a proven track record of creating work and/or participating in programs that foster and advance equity, inclusion, and representation relevant to our diverse student population. The candidate should show evidence of strong 3D software skills and experience using programs including Maya, Unreal, and/or Unity.

In addition to teaching, the position requires weekly office hours, attending faculty meetings, assessment of student learning, service to the department, college, and university, and developing the animation program through curriculum development and outreach. The successful candidate may be required to teach on weekdays, evenings, weekends, and/or online and will be held to the standards and requirements of the college and department in which he/she/they is/are housed for recommending tenure and promotion.

Given CSUN’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and engagement in a diverse environment, the successful candidate will help the Department achieve equitable academic outcomes for all students through teaching, student mentorship, scholarship, and service.

Required Qualifications:

• An MFA degree in Art with a concentration in animation, game design, or a related field from an accredited institution, foreign equivalency, or post-baccalaureate experience, training, and expertise at least equivalent to those required for the Master of Fine Arts degree.
• College, University, or advanced industry-focused teaching experience (in person, online, or both).
• Professional experience in the field with a record of creative achievement as a 3D generalist, animator, or technical artist.
• Proficiency with 3D Animation and Game software such as Autodesk Maya, Unreal, or Unity.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to demonstrate fundamental animation principles using emerging technologies.
• Ability to teach a variety of undergraduate beginning and advanced Animation and Game Design courses.
• Teaching or Professional experience that includes working with a diverse student body or leading groups of people from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience creating a student-centered learning environment, such as community engagement, inclusive professional development, active learning strategies, curriculum design, etc.
• Experience participating in inclusive approaches to mentoring, such as minority centered mentorship with community-based arts programs, leadership roles or engagement with minority serving organizations, etc.
• Experience using culturally responsive pedagogy that leads to equitable outcomes for all students.

Application Deadline:

The preferred application deadline is January 12, 2025 (the position will remain open until filled), and applications received after this date may be considered on an as-needed basis.

How to Apply:

Candidates should apply by completing the CSUN online application. To apply and for more detailed information on the application and hiring process, please visit this link: www.csun.edu/careers

On the CSUN/Careers website, applicants must submit these three documents:
• A cover letter that clearly addresses the required and preferred qualifications.
• Curriculum Vitae or resume that includes a link to the applicant’s portfolio.
• A separate page providing a link to the applicant’s online portfolio.

In later stages of the search process, applicants may be requested to provide additional materials, including an explanation of credit, role, and or shot breakdown for portfolio work, teaching philosophy (maximum 1 page), portfolio of student or trainee work samples (15-20 image samples), and corresponding image list (student name, course, title, media, dimensions, year completed), and a sample course syllabus/ outline.
Finalists will be asked to provide the names and contact information for 3 professional references.

General Information:

In compliance with the Annual Security Report & Fire Safety Report of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, California State University, Northridge has made crime-reporting statistics available on-line here.

The person holding this position may be considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

In accordance with the California State University (CSU) Out-of-State Employment Policy, the CSU is a state entity whose business operations reside within the State of California and prohibits hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside of California.

CSUN is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, and disability. Our nondiscrimination policy is set forth in Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting Rochelle Fischer at 818-677-2242.