Interactive Media - Assistant / Associate / Arts Professor

Description

NYU Abu Dhabi is currently inviting applications for a full-time contract faculty position in the Dvision of Arts and Humanities to teach in the Division and in the Interactive Media program to begin potentially as early as Fall 2026. The position is a renewable appointment based on curricular demand and performance. The Interactive Media program is a Bachelor of Arts major at NYUAD that combines art, interaction design, communications, computer science, engineering, and critique. While the program is formally housed in the University’s Arts and Humanities Division, it is a multidisciplinary major and has broad reach across the University. The mission of the program is to foster the creative use of emerging technologies for research, communication, and expression, while advancing a deep engagement with theoretical frameworks and critical discourse in Interactive Media. The program emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach that connects artistic practice with intellectual inquiry and social responsibility.

Arts Professors are active practitioners and creative and performing artists who have demonstrated expertise, excellence and experience in their particular professional domains and bring these qualifications to bear in their teaching. Arts Professors are expected to conduct research, defined as scholarly, creative and professional activities, and are expected to bring that research to bear in their teaching, and to provide service to NYUAD. Appointees must be experienced or highly knowledgeable in their particular fields and, where relevant, have had experience in curriculum development.

The successful candidate will have an expansive background in scholarship and the arts that prepares them to contribute to the divisions’ research initiative and propose a wide variety of courses to students in our established liberal arts undergraduate programs and Masters of Fine Arts, and upcoming “Global Crossroads” MA and programs.

Applicants should hold the required terminal degrees, such as MFAs and or those who have demonstrated a high-level creative output across theory / practice divides.

The candidate should be able to teach about recent and impending development in artificial intelligence as it relates to the arts and humanities. They should have demonstrated abilities to teach across the arts and humanities and develop transdisciplinary research teams.

We are looking for a faculty member who :

• Possesses an understanding of the aesthetic, cultural, social, political, critical, and ethical implications of interactive media and emerging technologies, and fosters an awareness of how these technologies shape and are shaped by societal contexts through historic and contemporary perspectives.
• Can engage students in developing a conceptual foundation for interactive media, integrating critical texts, reflective analysis, and creative practices that combine theoretical understanding with hands-on experimentation.
• Can engage students with a wide range of artists, scholars and practitioners whose work has shaped the field of interactive media fostering a nuanced understanding of its evolution and future directions
• Can support students in cultivating a critical vocabulary to articulate and analyze interactive media concepts, theories and projects, both in writing and discussion.
• Can engage students in creative practice, storytelling through various forms of media, designing rich user experiences, and exploring new modes of human-computer interactions.
• Has demonstrated experience in exhibiting works and / or presenting at festivals and conferences, with the ability to teach and support students in developing and showcasing their own work in similar professional contexts.

The Interactive Media program is integrated into the NYUAD liberal arts experience and is interested in faculty who consider teaching an extension of their research. Inherent to the program’s values is an agility with regard to interactive media and its rapid evolution, and thus we welcome faculty who will contribute to the development of the curriculum, specifically in the area of AI.

Applicants who can teach the following are encouraged to apply :

Across the program, Interactive Media faculty focus on experimentation and production both inside and outside of the classroom. Our approach to learning relies more on collaboration rather than competition so as to cultivate an accessible environment in which playful exploration, critical analysis, risk-taking, and failure can freely occur. While our foundation classes emphasize reading and writing, they are run in a workshop-like environment facilitating active learning and encouraging discussion of concept, content, technique and impact. Engaging with students beyond class time in the program's lab space through project assistance, personal direction, and community activities is key.

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the top 30 universities in the world, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest-ranked university in the UAE and MENA region. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 120 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.

NYUAD is committed to upholding a culture of non-discrimination, anti-harassment, dignity, and mutual respect; providing equal access and opportunity; and fostering academic excellence in learning, research, and teaching.

Students are drawn from among the world’s best. They are bright, intellectually passionate, and committed to building a campus environment anchored in mutual respect, understanding, and care. The NYUAD undergraduate student body has garnered an impressive record of scholarships, graduate-school admissions, and other global honors. Graduate education is an area of growth for the University; the current graduate student population of over 100 students is expected to expand in the next decade as doctoral programs are developed.

Working for NYUAD

At NYUAD, we recognize that Abu Dhabi is more than where you work; it’s your home. In order for faculty / academic staff to thrive, we offer a comprehensive benefits package. This starts with a generous relocation allowance; educational assistance for your dependents; access to health and wellness services; and more. NYUAD is committed to faculty / academic staff success throughout the academic trajectory, providing support for ambitious and world-class research projects and innovative, interactive teaching approaches. Support for dual-career families is a priority.