The Department of Media and Culture Studies invites applications for an Assistant Professorship in Performance and Technology, starting 15 August 2023.

As an Assistant Professor you will teach in the Dutch and English-language BA programme Media en Cultuur/Media and Culture, as well as in the MA Contemporary Theatre, Dance and Dramaturgy, MA Arts and Society and/or the RMA Media, Art and Performance Studies. You will also be involved in the supervision of individual student projects such as internships and BA and MA theses. Additionally, you will be expected to actively contribute to the research agenda of Media and Culture Studies and participate in research collaboration within the department and beyond.

For this position we are looking for a candidate with a background in Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies capable of teaching subjects across these fields, and with a special interest in subjects at the intersection of theatre, dance, performance and technology. How do technologies (including, but not limited to, VR, XR, AI, and motion capture) co-shape and transform ways of making and perceiving performance? How are they part of ways of collaborating, experiencing, appreciating, conceptualizing, documenting, and investigating as they take shape in and around performance practice? How do technologies change modes of perceiving, alter the experience of liveness and presence, reinforce or disrupt existing social structures, inform approaches to narrative and composition, and extend the frame of references and means of production, distribution and access for makers, audiences and researchers? How do ways of using technology in the theatre reflect and contribute to further social, cultural and technological developments?

As a candidate you are committed to furthering new and innovative developments in academic research and teaching, and to participating in interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships within and beyond the university. You meet multiple of the following requirements:

• You hold a PhD in the Humanities with a research focus on performance studies, theatre studies, dance studies, or adjacent fields.
• You have relevant teaching experience on BA and MA level (i.e. on topics such as performance and dance analysis, history of theatre, dance and performance, dramaturgy, scenography, choreography, embodied knowledge).
• You have experience in supervising individual thesis projects on BA and MA level.
• You are an active and ambitious researcher with output that reflects this.
• You have demonstrable ability and ambition to obtain external research grants.
• You have demonstrable ability and ambition in outreach, interprofessional collaboration, and challenge-driven education or research.
• You have experience in setting up and coordinating courses.
• You are a strong team worker and capable of multidisciplinary collaboration.
• You have acquired the Dutch Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO), or are willing to acquire this within the first two years.
• You are fluent in Dutch and English, preferably close to near-native standard; if you do not have a native command of Dutch you are expected to obtain NT2-level spoken and written Dutch within two years of appointment.

We offer a temporary position (1.0 FTE) for one year in an international working environment. After positive evaluation, this can be turned into a permanent position. The allocation is permanently set to 40% research and 60% teaching. Within the 60% for teaching, there is 10% free space that will not be scheduled. The gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranges between €3,974 and €6,181 (scale 11-12 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year.

In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Humanities has around 7,000 students and 1,100 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city center of Utrecht, where the Faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring working environment.

The Department of Media and Culture Studies supports teaching and research in the fields of film, television, games, new media and digital culture, theatre, dance and performance, gender and ethnicity, musicology and cultural policy. Culture is a dynamic mix of artistic, creative and everyday practices with which people shape their identities and actions, and within which societal structures and institutions take shape. Media (old and new) are crucial factors in these processes.