Posting DetailsPosition Information
Proposed Faculty Rank Associate Professor or Full Professor
Department 01508 - Games
City Salt Lake City, UT
Track Tenure Track
New Position to Begin 7/1/2027
Details The Division of Games at the University of Utah invites applications for a tenure-line Associate or Full Professor in Games, with a focus on human perception and cognition in the context of games, game play, and virtual worlds, to begin Fall 2027.
This hire is part of the PRESS PLAY Initiative (https://games.utah.edu/pressplay/), a $25 million, multi-year investment by the University of Utah in the faculty, facilities, and programs of the Division of Games. PRESS PLAY is growing both our teaching faculty and our research faculty, and new colleagues will help shape the next stage of games education and research at the U.
We seek a scholar whose research examines how people perceive, attend to, interpret, and act within games and virtual worlds, and how that understanding can inform the design, generation, and evaluation of interactive experiences. Candidates should demonstrate strength in advancing theories, models, methods, or tools that deepen our understanding of the perceptual and cognitive processes that shape how people experience and engage with complex game systems. Areas of interest may include computational and cognitive models of perception, attention, memory, decision-making, and comprehension in game play; visual, auditory, haptic, and multisensory perception in games, virtual reality, and other immersive environments; presence, embodiment, and spatial cognition in virtual worlds; the use of AI and machine learning to model players or to analyze behavioral, physiological, or neural data from play; human-AI interaction, including how players perceive, interpret, and engage with AI-driven characters, systems, and generated content; the cognitive and perceptual foundations of narrative comprehension, emotion, and engagement in interactive media; brain-computer and physiological interfaces for game play; and parallels between human and artificial cognition, including cognitive biases and decision-making, as they arise in games.
The successful candidate will lead a nationally and internationally recognized, externally funded research program and will play a leadership role in growing the Division's research enterprise, including graduate education and collaborations across disciplines and funding agencies. They will teach undergraduate and graduate courses and mentor junior faculty and graduate students. We especially welcome candidates who connect these areas to broader domains of games research and practice, and whose work connects with other units in the College of Architecture and Planning, the Kahlert School of Computing, Psychology, Philosophy, the School of Medicine, or the University's planned Institute for Digital Experience.
Necessary Qualifications- A PhD in cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, computer science, human-computer interaction, or a related field, with relevance to human perception, cognition, or experience in games, virtual worlds, or interactive media
- Research examining perception, attention, memory, decision-making, comprehension, or related cognitive processes in games, virtual reality, or other interactive and immersive environments.
- Broad knowledge of games and game development practice, sufficient to teach in-person courses across the Division's undergraduate and graduate curricula on the Salt Lake City campus
- Demonstrated depth of expertise and a distinguished record of scholarship in game-related areas, qualifying for appointment with tenure at the rank of Associate or Full Professor
- A sustained record of external research funding
- Demonstrated commitment to teaching and/or mentoring undergraduate and graduate students
- Demonstrated capacity to contribute to university and professional service and leadership, such as collaborative curriculum development, unit or college administrative service roles, outreach to local industry and government partners, or recruitment
Preferred Qualifications- Expertise in one or more relevant areas, such as cognitive science, perceptual psychology, cognitive neuroscience, computational modeling of cognition, artificial intelligence, or human-computer interaction, with demonstrated application to games or immersive media.
- Experience with experimental, computational, psychophysical, physiological, or neuroimaging approaches to studying players and play, including the use of AI and machine learning to model or analyze cognitive and behavioral data.
- Research that advances theoretical frameworks, models, methods, or tools that apply an understanding of human perception and cognition to the design, generation, adaptation, or evaluation of games and virtual worlds.
- Demonstrated academic leadership, such as directing a research lab or center, leading interdisciplinary collaborations, or developing externally funded research programs involving multiple investigators, institutions, or industry partners.
Special Instructions for Candidates All qualified individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. Review of applications will begin immediately and proceed until the position is filled. The position will start July 1, 2027.
Application MaterialsTo apply, candidates must submit the following materials:
- Current CV
- Cover letter describing your interest in the position, identifying the area(s) of expertise for which you wish to be considered in evaluation and summarizing your research expertise and personal academic goals.
- A Teaching Statement that addresses your experience and plans for teaching and student mentoring.
- A Research Statement describing your current and planned research.
- Up to three representative publications.
- Contact information for three references.
These materials should make clear how the applicant meets each of the necessary qualifications for the position and, at the candidate's discretion, how the applicant meets our preferred qualifications beyond the necessary ones.
Open Date 10/27/2026
Close DateOpen Until Filled Yes
Requisition Number PRN01615CF
Type Faculty
