I am a Principal Academic at the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), where I was employed in 2012 as a Senior Lecturer in Game Development and where I also lectured between 2001 and 2008 while completing my PhD. Currently I also serve as the Programme Leader for the BSc (Hons) Software Development for Animation, Games and Effects undergraduate programme.

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and member of the ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH and the Eurographics Association. For the latter, I currently serve as a member of the Education Board. I am also Co-Editor in Chief of CGEMS, the Eurographics/ACM Siggraph Computer Graphics Educational Materials Source.

From 2008 until 2012 I was Senior Lecturer in Computer Games Technology and in the 2011/2012 academic year Course Leader for the BSc Multimedia Computing undergraduate degree within the Creative Computing subject group at Coventry University's Faculty of Engineering and Computing. There I was also a founding member of the Interactive Worlds ARG (iWARG), which was set up in January 2009 and related to this I became cofounder and associate editor of the International Journal of Interactive Worlds (ISSN: 2165-9508 - now defunct).

Research

A major area of my research is the development of methods and techniques for the creation of interactive virtual environments, i.e. mainly computer games, as well as the virtual entities that populate these virtual worlds. This has included research and development of methods for the creation of (virtual world) visuals through simulation and procedural techniques for content creation for games, including serious games. Related to this I am interested in the use of computer games technology for cultural heritage applications.

Another area that I am researching is computer science education, including introductory computing education with a special focus on computer graphics education and procedural literacy. This has encompasses innovative education approaches and the use of technological education aids, such as serious games.

Publications

Grants

Outreach & engagement