Assistant Professor in Ceramics in the Expanded Field

Job Description

Classification Title: AST PROF

Classification Minimum Requirements

Candidates for this rank shall hold the highest degree appropriate to their field or possess equivalent qualifications based on professional experience. A candidate shall be expected to demonstrate successful experience pertinent to the position they are being recommended and have demonstrated qualities relevant to the goals of the academic unit in which they will be employed.

Job Description:

Assistant Professor in Ceramics in the Expanded Field

Position: Full-time, 9-month, tenure/promotion accruing faculty position

Date of Expected Hire: August 16, 2027

Salary: $74,000 annually with a comprehensive and highly competitive leave and benefits package

The School of Art + Art History in the College of the Arts seeks an Assistant Professor of Studio Art with expertise in ceramics in the expanded field to join our forward-looking interdisciplinary program at a top-ranked public university. The ideal candidate has an active studio practice that engages the complex materiality and history of clay and craft, as well as emerging ceramic technologies and methods. Their creative practice is informed by contemporary art theories and practice.

We seek an innovative artist-educator to lead the development of ceramics in the expanded field curricula. The ideal candidate will have strong collaborative, communication, and leadership skills. They will have experience and knowledge in wheel-based ceramic techniques, hand building/sculpture/figurative techniques, ceramic glazing and surface finishing techniques, and firing theory and methodology.

The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. As artists and scholars, we embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our students and faculty to shape that experience fearlessly through critical study, creative practice, and provocation. We seek a colleague who identifies as a change-maker. We seek a colleague who will position emerging artists and researchers as catalysts for justice on local and global levels.

This position is covered by the United Faculty of Florida Contract. You can view this employment union contract here https://admin.hr.ufl.edu/compliance/employee-relations-and-ethics/union-negotiations/united-faculty-of-florida-contract/.

Responsibilities:

• Teach a 2/2 course load at the undergraduate and graduate levels in ceramics in the expanded field in an interdisciplinary studio art curriculum.
• Course assignments may also include Studio Art foundations and non-majors courses, including courses in the university's General Education curriculum.
• Course assignments may also include interdisciplinary graduate courses, such as a seminar for first-year MFA in Art students or a team-taught critique seminar.
• Mentor and advise graduate students and supervise graduate committees.
• Maintain an active profile of creative research, consistent with the expectation of tenure and promotion
• Collaborate with staff in shared supervision of the ceramics facilities.
• Actively participate in our learning community and in shared governance through service to the school, college, university, and profession.

SCHOOL OF ART + ART HISTORY: The School of Art + Art History (SAAH) believes that art, design, and scholarship are critical to the cultural life and creative advancement of our local, national, and international communities. We empower each of our 360 undergraduate and 130 graduate students with knowledge, skills, and curiosity to engage thoughtfully and courageously with our changing world. The school offers BA, BFA, MA, MFA, and PhD programs, both residential and online, and students can study art education, art history, curatorial studies, graphic design, design & visual communications, museology (museum studies), and studio art. The 4Most Gallery and the three University Galleries provide exhibition space for international contemporary art and student work. The school has facilities in three on-campus buildings, and three off-campus sites. SAAH is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

The School of Art + Art History nurtures a culture of critical inquiry in our scholarly and creative work. The school has 38 full-time (including one director) and 11 part-time faculty, plus 11 staff members. The faculty publish, present, curate, and exhibit widely and internationally at the highest level. They bring their scholarship and creative work into their teaching, offering innovative learning experiences to their students. The school's programs have a focus on experiential learning and research that engages with our global and local communities. The school's four galleries serve as a laboratory where students can participate in the lifecycle of the work of art, as artists who display their work, as curators who organize exhibitions, and as historians and critics who articulate what they see. The galleries hosted 26 exhibitions last academic year with dozens of additional exhibitions displayed in other school spaces. The school's programs in art and design view their work as interdisciplinary and often collaborative with other disciplines across campus. The school's innovative and growing design program aims to use the State of Florida as a laboratory to develop solutions to real-world problems. The endowed Harn Eminent Scholar in Art History Chair and partially endowed Visiting Artist Series sponsored lectures, masterclasses, and studio visits from 20 artists, scholars, and designers last year, with an additional 30+ paying virtual visits to SAAH classrooms. The annual SAAH New York and Museum Studies trips connect students to alumni and other industry professionals who are thriving in their careers.

THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS: The College of the Arts is an engine of transformation that generates paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond, while nurturing adaptability, innovation, and excellence. We foster an environment where novel creative practice, leading research, and experiential learning thrive. Our students, faculty, and staff interrogate and respond to the ever-changing relationship between technology and the human spirit. We prepare future leaders in artistic professions and creative industries, while developing student capacity for interdisciplinary scholarship that serves and engages local and global communities. The College offers baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Approximately 1,600 students are pursuing majors in degrees offered by the College of the Arts under the direction of 150 faculty members in its three accredited schools— the School of Art + Art History, the School of Music, and the School of Theatre + Dance, and in the Center for Arts in Medicine, the Digital Worlds Institute, and the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship. In addition, the college comprises the University Galleries, and the University level of the New World School of the Arts in Miami.

The University of Florida: The University of Florida is a comprehensive learning institution built on a land grant foundation. We are The Gator Nation, a community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation and the world. Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit. UF is a graduate research institution with more than 50,000 students and membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Gainesville, which is consistently ranked as one of the nation's most livable cities, is located midway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Together, the University and the community comprise the educational, medical and cultural center of North Central Florida.

In addition to salary, the University of Florida (UF) offers low cost State Health plans, a number of Dental plans to fit you and your family's needs, and Vision. Domestic partner coverage through GatorCare is also available. Optional plans such as life, disability, legal and accident insurance are also available.

UF provides a variety of leave programs including vacation, sick leave, 11 paid holidays, personal leave days, and family medical leave. Nine-month faculty employees accrue approximately 13 sick days annually, and 4 personal leave days, typically used during the holiday closing period (accruals based on full-time employment). UF also provides you the flexibility to deal with life's challenges by offering paid family leave, eight full weeks of leave over a 24-month period.

Build a retirement roadmap with competitive pension plans, investment accounts and a host of voluntary add-ons, such as 457 deferred compensation and 403(b) plans.

UF Employees are also eligible for the GatorPerks discount program, which can provide savings at various businesses and retailers!

Explore UF's plethora of benefit options here: FACULTY Benefits

Expected Salary:

$74,000 annually with a comprehensive and highly competitive leave and benefits package

Required Qualifications:

The successful candidate must meet all of the following

• MFA or PhD in Studio Art Practice with an emphasis in ceramics
• Relevant teaching or instructional experience beyond graduate teaching assistantships
• Understanding of and an ability to respond to the legacies, histories, and theories of art and craft, including contemporary art
• Active studio practice and record of creative research with evidence of emerging or established recognition in the field, commensurate with experience
• Evidence of capacity to collaborate with faculty, students, and staff
• Evidence of skill in designing and facilitating academic work that advances curiosity, respect, open intellectual discourse, and the welcome incorporation and well-being of all in an environment of complex differences.

Preferred

The successful candidate will meet some of the following

• Full-time college and/or graduate-level teaching experience beyond graduate assistantship
• Evidence of success in teaching at the undergraduate level, including foundations courses
• Evidence of success in mentoring for undergraduate and graduate students
• Broad understanding of ceramic materials and processes, including emergent technologies such as digital fabrication and 3-D printing, as well as gas, electric, and atmospheric firing methods
• Evidence of innovative pedagogy
• Capacity to advance interdisciplinary collaborations in teaching and research
• Strong organizational, management and communication skills

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin December 4, 2026, and continue until an applicant pool is established. To ensure full consideration, all application documents must be submitted by December 4. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and/or hiring authority.

Application Process: Applications must be submitted via the University of Florida's online application system. Online applications must include the following:

1. a detailed letter of application that explains how you match the qualifications of this position and how your work and perspective will contribute to and enhance our transformative community
2. curriculum vitae
3. links to an online portfolio or single PDF of 15-20 each of personal and student work
4. statement of teaching philosophy
5. names and contact information for three professional references, a fourth administrative or technical staff member reference is welcome but not required. The search committee will notify the applicant before contacting references.

The UF system will give you the option to upload letters of reference. We are not requiring letters of reference with initial application materials. Please ignore that option. The Search Committee may request additional materials at a later time.

Inquiries may be sent to:
Julia Morrisroe
Chair, Assistant Professor of Ceramics in the Expanded Field Search
Email: julia01@ufl.edu

The search committee does not utilize AI or other software to provide any level of applicant assessment.

The selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered "official" if a designation of "Issued to Student" is visible. Degrees earned from an educational institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call +1 (352) 392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at +1 (800) 955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US.

Health Assessment Required: No

To apply, visit https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/541544

Our Commitment:

The University of Florida is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Hiring is contingent on eligibility to work in the U.S. The University of Florida is a public institution and is subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF.