Assistant Professor

Department :

Communication - 311400

Posting Open Date : 10 / 20 / 2025

Application Deadline :

12 / 01 / 2025

Open Until Filled : No

Position Type : Permanent Faculty

Working Title : Assistant Professor

Appointment Type :

Tenured / Tenure Track

Vacancy ID : FAC0005700

Full-time / Part-time :

Full Time

Hours per week : 40

FTE : Position Location :

North Carolina, US

Hiring Range :

Dependent on Experience and / or Qualifications

Proposed Start Date :

07 / 01 / 2026

Be a Tar Heel! :

The Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks to hire an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in Narrative Filmmaking. Successful candidates will have an MFA in cinematic arts or related discipline. They will have an active practice that is critically informed, and a demonstrated record of creative work as evidenced by public screenings and / or exhibitions. We are seeking a filmmaker with an expansive understanding of “narrative” as well as a background in independent, artistic, experimental and / or global cinema.

The successful candidate will teach a 2 / 2 course load, including large introductory Media Art courses and smaller studio courses, spanning intermediate and advanced levels. They will teach existing courses in Media Art and develop new courses that reflect their creative research interests and expertise. They will mentor student filmmakers in both curricular and grant-funded projects, including working with students in the Screenwriting minor and UNC’s Global Cinema minor, as well as doctoral students pursuing arts-based research.

They will join a group of media artists working in new media, documentary, sound art, narrative filmmaking, screenwriting, and experimental non-fiction. Along with our performance studies colleagues, media art faculty teach in the department’s new Media Art Space (MAS), a media and performance facility located in downtown Chapel Hill that serves as a lively hub for teaching, creative production, and exhibition. We welcome a new colleague to help shape our interdisciplinary ethos, recruit and train emerging artists and scholars, and plot a visionary trajectory for our department’s artistic and critical future.

The Department of Communication offers a unique curriculum organized around learning pathways that cuts across traditional academic disciplines. Through teaching, research, and service, the Department of Communication addresses how communication functions to create, sustain, and transform personal life, social relations, political institutions, economic organizations, and cultural and aesthetic conventions in society. Faculty conduct research and teach within a broad range of communication disciplines, including performance studies, media and technology studies, rhetoric, media art production, and organizational and interpersonal communication.

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities . Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package , paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work / life balance.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit :

The Department of Communication is one of 44 departments and curricula in the College of Arts & Sciences. As the largest unit on campus, the College of Arts & Sciences forms the academic core of the Carolina experience. Through teaching, research, and service, the Department of Communication addresses how communication functions to create, sustain, and transform personal life, social relations, political institutions, economic organizations, and cultural and aesthetic conventions in society. Faculty conduct research and teach within a broad range of communication disciplines, including performance studies, media and technology studies, rhetoric, media arts production and new media, and organizational and interpersonal communication. Recognized for significant contributions to the profession, University, state, and nation, the Department houses a PhD program, a major in Communication, an interdisciplinary major in Cultural Studies, and a minor in Writing for the Screen and Stage. It serves as the intellectual home for 26 faculty members, 45 graduate students, and nearly 700 undergraduates. The Department’s doctoral program offers a theoretically rich, interdisciplinary, problem-based approach to education and research that enables graduate students to define their own research in response to the changing demands of a constantly evolving communicative and cultural world. The Department’s majors, as well as the hundreds of pan-University non-majors seek out our classes for a set of critical capacities that contribute to an engaged, creative, and critical 21st century citizen. The department’s website provides a detailed look at our activities, mission, and values.

Position Summary :

The Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks to hire an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in Narrative Filmmaking. The successful candidate will conduct creative scholarship and teach classes in narrative filmmaking, broadly defined to include fiction, hybrid and / or experimental forms. They will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in media art practice and narrative filmmaking, in addition to other courses in their areas of expertise. Class sizes will range from small seminars to large lecture courses.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements :

MFA in cinematic arts or related discipline

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience :

Minimum 1 year of teaching at the University level; experience directing short narrative films; record of exhibition of work, including juried festivals and invited screenings.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities :

Not Applicable.

Special Instructions :

Applicants should submit (1) a letter of inquiry addressing qualifications for the position; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) link to website with portfolio of 1-3 creative work samples not to exceed 10 mins in length; 4) artist statement; (5) teaching portfolio including statement of teaching philosophy, sample syllabi, and teaching evaluations for one class where you were the instructor of record (if available); (6) names of three references. Recommendation letters will be required for those selected for initial interviews. For questions regarding the search, please email the chair of the search committee, Professor Tony Perucci at perucci@unc.edu.

Review of applications will begin on November 19, 2025. The search committee will interview an initial slate of candidates on Zoom in December 2025. Finalists will be invited for on-campus interviews in early 2026.