Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
Country of origin: Germany
Academic degrees and Institutions:
With my research, I address one of the most urgent problem of our modern society: sedentary lifestyles. A highly promising solution to motivate people towards more physical activity are so-called exergames that combine enjoyful gameplay with strenuous exercises. Especially when using the latest generation of extended reality systems (e.g., VR headsets), such applications could provide a highly individualistic, responsive, and motivating training experience. However, research on such use cases is still in its infancy and requires highly interdisciplinary collaborations with computer scientists, sports researchers, and accessibility experts to ensure the safety and efficacy of these applications. During my postdoc time, I work in numerous collaborations within my research group, across faculties, and internationally to address the most urgent research questions of this up-and-coming field.
As a starting point for my research at the University of Waterloo, we published a research a paper at CHI 2023, awarded with an honorable mention. The project explored how we could use a VR-based exergame to train vertical jump power and technique. Therefore, we involved distinguished domain experts, developed a prototype, and evaluated its use in a user study.
The University of Waterloo, in particular the Games Institute and the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, are renowned in the research community for interdisciplinary games research. Being funded by the Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars allowed me to choose Dr. Lennart Nacke's HCI Games Group as my next step in my academic career. I look forward to a productive and enjoyable time here.
Although it's been only a couple of months since coming to Waterloo, I already met a lot of new friends and colleagues, had a great time exploring the beauty of Canada, and completed the first, highly-promising research projects. More to come! :)
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, traveling, and exploring new sports and hobbies (skiing, running, juggling, badminton).
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.