Lecturer in Digital and Immersive Storytelling

Are you a researcher and practitioner working with immersive and interactive storytelling? Do you bring hands-on experience of immersive media tools alongside a critical, research-led understanding of what they make possible, and an interest in supporting students to make immersive work of their own?

If so, this is a rare opportunity to build a new area of teaching and research at Birkbeck, with significant infrastructure behind it.

You will join the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication as Lecturer in Digital and Immersive Storytelling, a School-wide role in the Birkbeck Creative Practice Lab, which brings together BIMI, the Centre for Contemporary Theatre, BIRMAC, the Derek Jarman Lab, the Peltz Gallery and the Vasari Research Centre. You will also draw on the Immersive Learning Centre, Birkbeck's AR/VR and spatial computing facility, and the Centre for Creative AI.

Your research might engage immersive narrative and spatial storytelling; interactive, transmedia and game-based form; presence, embodiment and representation in VR/AR environments; immersive documentary, journalism or performance; or the meeting of real-time 3D and AI-assisted production. Your practice might involve Unreal Engine, Unity, VR/AR development environments, 360-degree capture, spatial audio or motion capture, however developed.

We are especially interested in candidates who can situate that work within one or more of the School's disciplines: film, media and journalism; creative writing; English and liberal arts; performing arts and creative industries; languages and linguistics. Please address this in your application.

You will develop new curriculum, including a cross-School module bringing students from different disciplines together in collaborative practice. Birkbeck teaches mainly working students of diverse ages and backgrounds, largely in the evening, and we want someone who relishes it.

You will hold, or expect shortly to complete, a PhD in a relevant field such as digital media, film and media studies, journalism, creative arts, game studies, performance studies, literary studies, digital humanities, or a related field. Demonstrable research engagement with immersive media, through publications, practice-based outputs or doctoral research, is essential, as is practical experience with immersive production tools. HE teaching experience is desirable rather than essential, but we expect demonstrable teaching, training or facilitated learning experience in some context. We particularly welcome applications from candidates whose work engages diversity, equity and inclusion in immersive and digital media, and who would add to our team's diversity.

This opportunity would build on experience as: immersive media practitioner, XR designer, game designer or developer, narrative designer, interactive documentary maker, creative technologist, VR/AR artist, immersive theatre or journalism practitioner, digital media researcher, digital media or creative arts lecturer.

Salary and benefits:

£44,247 rising to £60,858 per year, Grade Lecturer (Research & Teaching) LLEC on the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated London Weighting Allowance.

Benefits of working at Birkbeck: a competitive salary and pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements, generous benefits in the HE sector, and being located in the heart of Bloomsbury, Euston, London.

Contract

Permanent contract. Full-time (35 hours per week). While the normal default is Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, there is considerable flexibility, including the need to do evening teaching.

Please submit a CV for consideration.

Closing date: Sunday 11 October 2026.

Interview date: Wednesday 11 November 2026.

If you would like to know more about the role, please click on apply below or contact:

Dr Scott Rodgers at s.rodgers@bbk.ac.uk.

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