Faculties:
- Arts, Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business
Country of Origin: Germany
Academic degrees and institutions:
- PhD (summa cum laude) - University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (2022)
- M.Sc. - University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (2018)
- B.Sc. - University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (2016)
Describe your work and how it embodies the nature of the Interdisciplinary program.
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.
Describe any specific or relevant academic projects
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.
What are some activities you hope to accomplish during your postdoctoral appointment at University of Waterloo?
- Collaborate with and supervise PhD, master, and bachelor students to pass my knowledge to the next generation of scholars
- Keep up with my past research output by publishing regularly in top-tier conference proceedings and journals
- Apply for specialized grants that can further elevate my group's research efforts
Why did you choose the University of Waterloo?
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.
What are you most looking forward to or currently enjoying about the University of Waterloo?
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! :)
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, traveling, and exploring new sports and hobbies (skiing, running, juggling, badminton).
Learn more
- Connect with Sebastian on LinkedIn
- Follow Sebastian on X (formerly Twitter)