Lecturer, DIGM/AI Generalist

Location: TN, United States

Job Summary 

Position Type: Full-Time Faculty

Course Load: 4 courses per semester

The Department of Digital Media seeks an innovative, forward-thinking Instructor of Digital Media with expertise in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into creative workflows and digital pipelines.

The ideal candidate is a knowledgeable generalist capable of connecting modern AI tools and concepts across our four core concentrations: Game Design, Animation, Visualization, and VFX.

Key Responsibilities

• Teaching: Teach a 4-course load per semester plus student mentoring, primarily focused on multiple sections of the foundational core Digital Media AI course. Instruction for our Digital Media AI courses; which will include: oversight of curriculum alignment across sections, updating course materials as industry tools evolve, and teaching multiple sections each semester.
• Course & Curriculum Coordination: Oversee and maintain the Digital Media AI curriculum, ensuring consistent learning outcomes, ethical AI framework integration, and up-to-date toolsets across all course sections.
• Student Mentorship: Guide students in leveraging emerging AI tech ethically, critically, and effectively within their artistic and technical pipelines.
• Departmental Engagement: Stay ahead of rapid advances in generative tools, procedural workflows, neural rendering, and interactive AI applications to ensure our program remains at the forefront of digital media education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• AI Integration & Tools: Hands-on experience applying modern AI methodologies, workflows, and tools (e.g., visual generation, texture/asset synth, neural rendering, voice/audio synthesis, procedural AI tools, or script-assisted AI pipelines) within digital media creation.
• Broad Digital Media Generalist: Competency or practical familiarity across the four departmental concentrations:
• Game Design: Game engines (Unreal/Unity), interactive logic, emerging AI-driven gameplay assets or NPC logic.
• Animation: 2D/3D character animation pipelines, motion capture, AI-assisted rigging/animating workflows.
• Visualization: Architectural, scientific, or product visualization, 3D modeling, lighting, rendering pipelines.
• VFX: Compositing, rotoscoping, particle/simulation systems, AI-driven image processing and synthesis.
• Teaching & Communication: Strong communication skills and a passion for undergraduate education, curriculum development, and fostering ethical awareness around AI technology in creative disciplines.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related technical/artistic field, or a Bachelors degree paired with substantial professional industry experience and a strong portfolio demonstrating relevant expertise, will also be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Digital Media, Game Design, Animation, Computer Graphics, VFX, or a closely related field.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $75,000
• For information on benefits please visit www.etsu.edu/human-resources/benefits/.

Application Instructions

• Exempt positions are only required to be posted for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days. The closing date for this posting is subject to change without notice to applicants.
• Employment contingent on a satisfactory background check.
• Please attach the following documents:
  • CV
  • Cover Letter
  • Unofficial Transcripts 
  • Portfolio

ETSU is an equal opportunity employer.

University Overview

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is an institution with over 14,000 diverse students highly ranked graduate and undergraduate programs. Located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Northeast Tennessee, ETSU serves as a hub for community, discovery, and service. Aligned with the institutions mission, we value efforts to engage in teaching, scholarship, creative activities, and service that involve community partners and address significant societal needs in our region and beyond. Recognized in 2024 as a Great College to Work For, recent strategic initiatives prioritize the institution’s focus on community engagement.

Disclaimer: The Job Summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of work individuals perform in this classification. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Management reserves the right to revise the job or require different tasks to be performed as assigned to reflect changes in the position. Employees must be able to perform the positions essential functions satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations.