DEPARTMENT: Academy of Film and Creative Technology- School of Digital Media Arts

ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE: Digital Media Arts/ Visual Effects and Visual Communication/Animation

POSITION TITLE: Assistant Professor/Teaching Fellow/Lecturer

POSITION OPEN DATE:  25^th Feb, 2022

ADVERTISEMENT CLOSING DATE:  30^th July, 2022

JOB ID: 2262

CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed-Term/3-year contract, renewable. 3rd contract is open-ended

UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

Located in Suzhou, within the Yangtze Delta area, China, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is a young, dynamic and English Medium Instruction university founded in 2006. It is a unique collaborative institution, and the first joint-venture university in China to offer both UK (University of Liverpool) and Chinese (Ministry of Education) accredited undergraduate degrees for more than 100 programmes. XJTLU has ambitious aims to become a world-class research-led institution, and has committed significant investment into research development and the expansion of master’s and PhD student numbers on campus. The university has over 18,000 students and nearly 1000 academic staff representing in excess of 90 nationalities, and plans to grow to about 25,000 students by 2025.

XJTLU’s initial and main campus is located in the Higher Education Town of Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), well-connected via nearby airports to cities such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, and via high-speed rails to other major cities in China, including nearby Shanghai. Greater Suzhou is now the fourth largest concentration of economic activity in China in terms of GDP.

XJTLU is finalising the building of a new teaching, research and entrepreneurial campus in Taicang, part of Greater Suzhou. Opening in September 2022, Industry-themed schools and entrepreneurial degrees have been established through collaboration with the Taicang Municipal Government and industry partners, and will be a central pillar of the university strategic priorities for the next ten years.

Brief Summary of Academy of Film and Creative Technology:

The newly created Academy, launched on 22^nd May 2021, is the result of bringing together the two existing schools of Cultural Technology, and Film and TV Arts, under one academic roof. Uniquely within XJTLU, the Academy is multi-locational, providing cross-site opportunities for students, staff, industry and society.

Building on the core values of the university, the Academy brings together the areas of media, creativity and technology within the context of society to establish an international cultural ecosystem, driven by knowledge generation to advance industry and shape future society. The Academy is located in both the SIP campus, through the School of Film and TV Arts; and on the new campus in Taicang as part of the new Entrepreneur College, through the School for Cultural Technology. There are also ambitious plans to develop further educational, research and creative technology facilities in both Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and the Great Bay Area.

AFCT offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes through its schools, non-degree short term professional training programmes, research and knowledge transfer services, and establishes partnerships and interacts with industries and society.

About the School of Film and TV Arts

The School of Film and Television Arts was built on the departmental strengths in cinematic arts, visual storytelling and culture. With the addition of a film school and training in practical filmmaking, TV production, stream media and creative arts. The School is developing a mix of practice, research, creativity and industry engagement with the film, television, visual arts and creative industry sectors in China and internationally. The School currently offers programmes in Digital Media Arts, TV Production and Filmmaking at UG level. Future plans include the establishment of postgraduate and PhD programmes in the areas of cultural and creative industries.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

1. Coordinate and deliver modules across a range of digital media arts, television production, and filmmaking subject areas
2. Prepare content and lesson plans for module delivery
3. Curriculum development
4. Manage the media production output of projects within the School or with industry partners, both within the curriculum and in extra-curricular activity approved by the School
5. Supervise and/or advise on creative projects
6. Contribute to the further development of the School’s programmes 
7. Provide services and at least 10 office hours for academic counselling; attending school meetings, committees; organizing events, etc.  
8. Publish research/or creation outputs
9. Works assigned by line manager/or Academy leaders

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES: The successful applicants will have academic and/or industry experience directly related to Digital Media Arts, Animation, Visual Effects and/or Interactive Design projects. He/ she will be able to demonstrate practical knowledge and understanding of creative design processes. They will also be expected to teach fundamental modules on visual aesthetics and design, including visual communication, 2d/graphics design, and creative media authoring skills. In terms of advanced specialties, the person will be expected to have developed extended practices in motion media-related areas, e.g. expressive motion graphics, visual storytelling, interactive media or other applications oriented to generating creative content.

We are open to applicants who present themselves with high relevance to these attributes. Specifically, the successful applicant will work around with the existing staff whose expertise are geared towards Media and Entertainment industry. We thus value highly the experience directly related to such industry. The available number of posts and their desired specialties are:

• Visual Communication and Effects : 1
• Animation and Motion Design: 1
• Interactive Media: 1

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

Terminal degrees (PhD/MFA) in the relevant subject areas

Research (desirable) and teaching experience within a university environment

Proficient working knowledge of Digital Media Arts-related software, e.g. Adobe Creative Suite, 2D/3D Multimedia Authoring Applications, After Effect, Maya, Interactive Content Developing Tools

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

• The ability to teach creative design processes for Digital Media Arts students.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies such as VR, AR.
• Knowledge of design management and practical opportunities for aspiring motion designers. 
• Highly developed organisational skills: The ability to anticipate events, identify desirable outcomes and achieve goals within a specified timeframe.
• High level of verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and work cooperatively in the School.
• Experience or willingness in developing practice-based research/applied research
• Exhibition/show planning and curation 

COMPENSATION PACKAGE:

Range of Annual Base Pay:

Lecturer:  280k-320k RMB
Assistant Professor: 360k-400k RMB
Associate Professor: 450k-490k RMB

Members of Academic Staff are entitled to subsidies for accommodation, travel, and children’s education, medical insurance, and a one-time relocation allowance is provided. Overseas staff may receive a tax “holiday,” depending on nationality and personal circumstances.

CITIZENSHIP AND VISA REGULATIONS:

Employment at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is regulated by Chinese Labour Laws, and must comply with the regulations of the provincial government. These regulations stipulate who is eligible for legal employment with regard to obtaining work permits and visas. Please be advised candidates over 55 may be not eligible for PRC work visa.

TO APPLY:

Please submit your application Online.

https://performancemanager15.sapsf.cn/sf/jobreq?jobId=2262&company=xjtlu

Applications must be submitted in a single pdf file that includes 3 parts in the order of:

• A cover letter
• A current CV, including date of birth, country of citizenship, and highest degree level
• Contact Details for Three References

Applications should be received by the closing date stated above.

For specific enquiries relating to the position, please email School Dean, Prof Evelyn Li-Chuan MAI at Evelyn.Mai@xjtlu.edu.cn.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to HR Wenyu PU at Wenyu.Pu@xjtlu.edu.cn.