Associate Professor​/Full Professor in Lighting Design

Associate Professor/Full Professor in Lighting Design

Job Description The University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Theater invites applications for a full-time Senior Faculty position at the rank of Associate or Full Professor with tenure in Lighting Design. The position is slated to begin September 1, 2027. The successful candidate will be a committed teacher who embraces a student-centered mentoring approach and an accomplished professional practitioner who brings significant experience and artistic vision to the Department.

They will be an excellent and adaptable collaborator, able to work effectively across a range of budgets and performance spaces, and will possess the expertise to teach lighting design from the introductory through the professional level.

Experience and expertise in related areas of theatrical design and technology, such as projection design, video design, immersive design, or virtual reality, are desirable. Candidates who can integrate emerging technologies into teaching, creative practice, and production work are especially encouraged to apply.

The department depends on its faculty and staff being ensemble-oriented, communicative, adventurous, and able to model these traits to the students. We are particularly interested in artists who have diverse expertise or experience in theater-making.
Essential Functions The successful candidate will be an artist-scholar and teacher whose primary area of expertise is lighting design. They will develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in lighting design artistry and technology, including foundational and advanced coursework. Instruction may encompass areas such as 3D lighting visualization, programming, drafting, and lighting design applications for related creative fields.

The faculty member will contribute to the department's production program by overseeing the lighting design activities associated with the mainstage season. Responsibilities include serving as lighting designer or production designer for selected productions; mentoring and supervising student lighting designers and related production personnel; attending design, production, and technical meetings; and participating in design and technical rehearsals as required.

The successful candidate will maintain an active professional and creative practice in lighting design and contribute to the artistic and intellectual life of the department through collaboration, mentoring, recruitment, advising, service, and participation in shared governance.

The successful candidate will have excellent administrative skills, significant leadership experience, and a record of scholarship, teaching, and service appropriate for appointment to a tenured Associate Professor/Full Professor rank at a R1 University.

Minimum Requirements MFA in Lighting Design or terminal degree in related field by time of hire.

A record of teaching, research, and creative output appropriate for appointment at the rank of a tenured Associate/Full Professor at a R1 Research University.

Demonstrated excellence in teaching lighting design at the college level.

Substantial experience as a professional lighting designer and evidence of impact in the field; evidence of ongoing creative achievement.

An ability to collaborate across disciplines.

Working knowledge of contemporary trends and technology.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with Projection Design and Technology Salary Information and Disclosures The University expects to pay within an approximate range between $90,160 and $142,437 for this position if hired at the rank of Associate Professor. The expected range for a candidate hired at the rank of Full Professor is between $107,065 and $188,003. Salary is commensurate with…