Posting DetailsPosition Information
Proposed Faculty Rank Associate 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 Professor in Games, with a focus on game design, 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 an accomplished game designer with a substantial record of designing games, whose scholarship and research advance foundational knowledge of game design, including the principles, methods, and tools that inform how games are designed and made. Candidates should demonstrate strength in advancing that knowledge through its application to create compelling play experiences. Areas of particular interest include systems design, narrative 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 game design.
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. They will also take a leading role, with Division leadership and faculty, in keeping our design curriculum current as tools, platforms, and development practices change, including the growing role of AI in how games are designed and built. 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 Ph.D. in a games-related field with a focus on areas of practice in game design.
- Experience with design research methods, such as research through design, rapid prototyping and iteration, playtesting, and the use of player feedback and data to evaluate and refine gameplay, together with fluency in the professional tools of game design, including commercial game engines and their scripting tools.
- A track record of peer-reviewed research in at least one area of game design, such as gameplay design, narrative design, interaction design, or level and world design, that advances foundational knowledge of how games are designed and made.
- 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
- A sustained and substantive 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 more than one area of game design, with demonstrated application in games designed and deployed.
- Research that advances principles, methods, or tools for designing games that includes the use of AI in game design workflows.
- Demonstrated academic leadership, such as directing a research lab, design studio, 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 game design 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, including the design work through which that research is carried out.
- 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 11/03/2026
Close DateOpen Until Filled Yes
Requisition Number PRN01621CF
Type Faculty
