Position Summary: The Media School at Indiana University Bloomington is inviting applications for two tenure/tenure-track faculty positions in Extended Reality (XR). We are on the lookout for creative technologists (PhD or MFA) who think through and harness XR technologies in innovative ways across diverse domains from art installations to film production to game design to sports media to advertising. Candidates should demonstrate a proven ability to engage in exhibitions, screenings, and/or grant endeavors with forward-thinking research agenda and significant impact.

One position may be more tipped towards the fine arts/museum practice, one more towards the applied creative industry applications (i.e. cinema, sports, opera, live performance), but mostly we are looking for amazing artists doing innovative and exciting work across any/all terrains.

Possible co-appointment with one of our six partner IU schools: Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture, and Design; the School of Optometry; Luddy School of Informatics; the School of Public Health; the Jacobs School of Music; and the College of Arts & Sciences. The determination of the appropriate IU school tenure home for one of the positions will depend on the candidates’ teaching and research interests.

Ideal Candidates: We are especially interested in candidates engaged with immersive media theory and design (including augmented, virtual, and extended reality), particularly the ways in which these technologies can intersect with other subfields including, but not limited to, environmental media and media ecologies, global media industries, political economies of media, media archaeologies (and the transition from film to video to digital to virtual), and/or queer visual cultures. Theorist-practitioners and those with experience in immersive media production are welcome and encouraged to apply.

Candidates might merge creative and interdisciplinary methods to utilize XR technologies effectively, enhancing our ability to address fundamental challenges in digital media and human-centered design. They will most likely have a history of high-impact peer-reviewed publications/exhibits or have worked in an industry setting, and have the capability to attract competitive external funding.

The two successful candidates will help form the new Kinetic Imagery and Extended Reality (KIX) Lab at Bloomington (see below), which will have a parallel/connected facility on our Indianapolis campus, and will be involved in creating new MS/MFA graduate programs in Kinetic Imagery and Extended Reality. These faculty will have the opportunity to lead and guide the establishment of the KIX Lab, although such leadership is not a requirement of the positions.

Application domains of interest are broad and include, but are not limited to, film production, film arts practice, game design, sport media, music/sound/performance, and groundbreaking art-science collaborations. We are eager to receive applications from artists/academics who are not working with XR technology but whose research or creative agendas are leading in that direction. Further, we are open to those who move back and forth between professional and academic terrain and will offer the flexibility to make that happen.

About the KIX Lab: The Kinetic Imagery and Extended Reality Lab is envisioned as a hub for faculty and graduate student research and creative activity related to the creation and use of virtual worlds. Its centerpiece will be “The Wall,” an LED immersive soundstage for virtual productions. As performers move about on the stage, “The Wall” displays their environment and camera tracking moves the environment as the performers move. The result is like a green screen, but the performers and production team can see the virtual world in real time, and the imagery can be interpolated beyond what can be seen on the wall, so there is no limit to what the camera can capture.

The lab is an interdisciplinary initiative among seven schools – The Media School, Eskenazi, Optometry, Luddy, Public Health, the College, and Jacobs – as well as University Information Technology Services. It will be the only extended reality lab in the country that foregrounds both technology and art and connects the two. It’s also an intercampus initiative, with facilities in Bloomington (KIX South) and Indianapolis (KIX North) to connect our two campuses.

Example (but not exhaustive) applications

About The Media School: The Media School at Indiana University Bloomington combines a long-standing tradition of excellence in journalism, film, gaming, and communications with a commitment to digital and interactive media studies. It fosters a multidisciplinary approach to education and research, equipping students with the theoretical and practical tools necessary to lead and innovate in the media landscape of tomorrow. Faculty members are distinguished for their scholarly contributions and their dedication to teaching, offering a dynamic environment for engaging with media theory, production, and design. The Media School is home to the Center for Documentary Research and Practice, the Center for International Media Law and Policy Studies, the Institute for Communication Research, the Michael I. Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism, the National Sports Journalism Center, the Observatory on Social Media, and the Black Film Center & Archive, the only archival repository in the world that is wholly dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making available historically and culturally significant films by and about Black people.

University and Community Setting: Nestled in the lively community of Bloomington, our university campus is renowned for its stunning limestone architecture and scenic natural landscapes, including lush woods and flowing rivers. It is often celebrated as one of the most beautiful campuses globally. This setting fosters a culture of inclusivity and emphasizes the importance of both the arts and sciences. We highly value candidates who contribute to these fields through their academic pursuits and community involvement.

Bloomington is a vibrant midsize city located within driving distance of Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Louisville. Our community is small yet welcoming, with people from all over the world. Bloomington features an active arts community, with several independent music and performance venues and one of the best university cinemas in the country. We boast an array of eclectic restaurants and craft breweries. Southern Indiana is also home to beautiful scenery, and residents enjoy year-round outdoor activities.