Assistant, Associate or Full Professor (Scenic & Lighting Design)

Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts seeks an Assistant, Associate or Full Professor in Scenic and Lighting Design for a tenure-track position beginning July 1, 2027.

We are looking for a dynamic and innovative designer to instruct and mentor undergraduate students in our major and minor in Performing and Media Arts. Our interdisciplinary department teaches theory and practice in theatre, film, dance, performance, installation, and devised work, in increasingly unique and experimental ways. We offer B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in a liberal arts environment that allows a wide range of students to study and explore live and mediated forms of creativity, expression, and collaboration.

Our ideal candidate will have experience teaching and working across different areas (i.e. scenic and lighting design; scenic and projection design; live and mediated performance). The successful candidate will teach the equivalent of two courses each semester, some of which may be as a designer on departmental productions. The candidate’s courses, to be determined by departmental needs and the individual’s particular area(s) of expertise, might include Production Design, Set Design, Worldbuilding, Lighting for Theatre and Dance, Lighting for Film, and/or Projection Design. Teaching responsibilities will also include mentorship of students in various roles in department-generated and student-generated productions.

We are interested in recruiting candidates who have demonstrated an ongoing, successful engagement with the highest standards of teaching and professional creative activity, consistent with the expectations for excellence in a Research I university. To that end, colleagues are expected to continue developing their professional career beyond Cornell with a national and/or international profile.

The Department of Performing and Media Arts is committed to the development of a campus climate that supports equality and diversity. More information is available at https://pma.cornell.edu.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter describing their practice, successful collaborations, and approach to teaching rooted in inclusive pedagogies. Candidates should also provide a curriculum vitae, a design portfolio, and three letters of recommendation.

Candidate must have either an MFA or Ph.D officially awarded no later than July 1, 2026. The deadline for applications is October 25, 2026.

[Pay Range: $110,800 - $240,000] Actual salary offers in the College of Arts and Sciences will be based on education, experience, discipline, and relevant skills.

Disclosure: Consistent with Cornell’s practice, appointments to academic positions require candidates to disclose relevant information about their prior employment including whether they have been found to have violated institutional or employer policies related to or governing unlawful discrimination and harassment, academic and research misconduct, or financial misconduct.

Pay Range:

Refer to Posting Language

Pay Ranges:

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience.
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
• Academic Discipline
• Unique applicable skills.

Employment Assistance:

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email [email protected].

If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell Office of Civil Rights at voice (607) 255-2242, or email at [email protected].

Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also request an appointment to use a dedicated workstation in the Office of Talent Attraction and Recruitment, at the Ithaca campus, by emailing [email protected].

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