Job Details

Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Game Design

Position Number: 9972111
Location: Salt Lake City, United States
Position Type: Fine and Applied Arts - Digital Art

Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Game Design

Details

The Division of Games at the University of Utah invites applications for a non-tenure-track career-line Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Games, with a focus on game design, to begin Fall 2027. We seek an applicant with deep, hands-on expertise in designing video games, ideally gained through professional work on shipped titles. Areas of particular interest include systems design, such as combat, economy, progression, and character and ability design; narrative design, including quest and mission design; level and world design; UX and interface design; and multiplayer and social systems design. These areas are examples rather than a complete list, and we welcome applications from candidates with expertise in any area of hands-on video game design.

The successful candidate will teach courses in game design across our undergraduate and graduate programs, and will guide design students working alongside artists, engineers, and producers in our studio-based game production courses. They will also work with Division leadership and faculty to keep our design curriculum current as tools, platforms, and development practices change, including the growing role of AI in how games are designed and built. This is an opportunity to help shape how the next generation of game designers learns to craft the rules, systems, spaces, and stories that make games work, and to do so as a member of a team.

Successful candidates will share our vision of the power that games hold to transform players, groups, and society. Hires are part of the PRESS PLAY Initiative (https://games.utah.edu/pressplay/), a significant, multi-year commitment for faculty growth in the Division of Games.

Note: The Division of Games is dedicated to connecting students with industry professionals and contemporary game development practices. For industry professionals wishing to transition into academia, the Division provides training and onboarding around academic and administrative practices.

Necessary Qualifications

A terminal degree in a games-related field with a focus on game design (e.g., MFA in Game Design, MEAE Game Design track, or Ph.D. in a games-related field with a focus on practical design in video games).
Demonstrated expertise in at least one area of hands-on video game design, such as systems design, narrative design, level design, or combat, economy, and progression design.
Proficiency with the tools of professional game design, including at least one commercial game engine (e.g., Unreal Engine or Unity) and its scripting or visual scripting tools, and skill in rapid prototyping in digital and/or paper form.
Evidence of contribution to games or other creative works developed by interdisciplinary teams.
Experience with professional design practices such as design documentation, prototyping and iteration, playtesting, and using player feedback and data to tune and balance gameplay.
Broad knowledge of the practical aspects of game development, sufficient to teach across the B.S. in Games and Master's of Entertainment Arts & Engineering (MEAE) curricula to students in person on the Salt Lake City campus.

In addition to teaching, candidates are expected to contribute to university and professional service, for example, collaborative work to expand our curriculum, outreach to local industry and government partners, and recruitment efforts.

Preferred Qualifications

Recent professional experience as a designer in the games industry or a related field, including contributions to one or more shipped commercial titles.
Experience teaching game design, narrative design, level design, or related courses at the university level.
Expertise in more than one area of game design.
Experience designing for more than one platform, such as console, PC, mobile, web, or XR platforms.
Experience working with AI tools and systems, such as AI characters, procedural or generative content, or dynamic and AI-enabled branching narrative, or using AI in game design workflows.
Demonstrated commitment to teaching and/or mentoring colleagues, interns, or students.

About the Division

The Division of Games is a world leader in games education, with consistently top-ranked programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is currently ranked #1 among public institutions by both the Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. We are one of the four academic units of the College of Architecture and Planning, which also includes the School of Architecture, the Department of City and Metropolitan Planning, and the Division of Multi-Disciplinary Design.

The Utah Games faculty includes artists, computer scientists, designers, learning scientists, philosophers, producers, social scientists, writers, and other games makers and scholars who collectively work together to push the boundaries of what is possible in games. This breadth of backgrounds is one of the core elements of our identity. We strongly value inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to research and education, and we seek to foster collaboration across the University of Utah. Currently, our faculty sustain ongoing collaborations with other departments within our College of Architecture + Planning, as well as the School of Medicine, the Colleges of Education, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Science, and Engineering, and other campus partners. We also maintain strong collaborations with the vibrant local game development community and other significant industry-wide partners.

Our unit is committed to being a responsible member of our campus and professional community, and we strive to recruit and support faculty committed to acting in furtherance of our unit's values. Interested candidates may view these values by visiting games.utah.edu/utah-games-values.

If you are interested in joining us to build a culture of academic excellence; to create ideas that advance our understanding of games; to share those ideas with our students, communities, and society; and to apply those ideas to change the world for the better, we strongly encourage you to apply.

About the College of Architecture and Planning

The University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning (CA+P) is a community of award-winning faculty, entrepreneurial students, and support staff that together form a creative community unlike any other. The College is home to four academic units: the School of Architecture, the Department of City and Metropolitan Planning, the Division of Games, and the Division of Multi-Disciplinary Design, as well as multiple research centers and collaboratives. Across these units are top-ranked academic programs, outstanding researchers with a strong commitment to addressing defining issues of our time, and a record of unsurpassed societal impact. As part of a campus that values innovation and interdisciplinarity, the College is transforming its disciplines and training graduates to become leaders and changemakers in the built and virtual environments globally. More information is available at cap.utah.edu.

About the University of Utah

The University of Utah is a Carnegie Research I institution located in Salt Lake City, nestled in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. With thriving arts and culinary scenes and a growing high-technology sector, Salt Lake City offers a mix of urban life alongside access to national parks, ski resorts, hiking, and climbing, all just minutes from campus.

Department: 01508 - Games
City: Salt Lake City, UT
Track: Non Tenure Track
Close Date:
Open Until Filled: Yes
Requisition Number: PRN01616CF

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/212014

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans' preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran's status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX (OEO). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator's office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number, can be located at https://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/.

Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu.