EquipmentNOVA 360 Ball

I am the Centre Manager of the Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HIT Lab NZ)

 

I hold formal research training in Plant and Soil Ecology as well as Physiological Plant Ecology, and spent over a decade working as a scientist at the University of Minnesota, contributing to research in these fields.

 

In addition to my scientific background, I have a strong interest in Business and Organisational Management. I earned an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, where I developed a deep appreciation for the role of effective business practices in shaping institutions. I am particularly passionate about applying strategic and organisational management principles to enhance performance and innovation within the Tertiary Education sector.

I am Director of the Human Interface Technology Lab NZ (HIT Lab NZ) at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, and have been doing research in the field of VR since 1993. My work focuses on immersive, multi-sensory feedback systems for VR, AR, gaming, and long-term VR immersion research. I am particularly interested in non-fatiguing, non-sickness-inducing and worry-free experiences. I have also done significant work on the effective use of 360-degree video for science outreach, including work in Antarctica. I am also deeply passionate about enabling others to confidently use this technology effectively, for example, with Māori storytellers. I was General Chair of IEEE VR 2010, IEEE 3DUI 2014 and ACM VRST 2023, which was held in Christchurch, New Zealand. I am an avid mountain biker, hiker, geocacher and skier.

I have an academic background in mechanical engineering and professional background in 3D modelling and design where I worked for the US Navy and NASA.  I created my own 3D graphics company in 2007 that shifted into game development and scripting. I released 2 games on Steam in the late 2010s.  

 

I work at HITLab NZ as a games developer/programmer but also support IT and hardware needs within the lab.