Virtual Futures: Creating Virtual Worlds

Virtual Futures: Creating Virtual Worlds

Dominic Kao,

Abstract: Screens now mediate much of our daily life. My research asks how we can build effective virtual worlds--from games to virtual reality to AI-enhanced immersive systems. In this talk, I'll share key findings from my work on virtual identities, virtual reality, audiovisual feedback, AI, and games, and discuss emerging directions for this research.

Bio: Dominic Kao is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on virtual worlds, games, and education--specifically, understanding how virtual environments influence people and developing best practices for immersive experiences.

Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. He received a B.S. degree in computer engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, in 2009, an M.S.E. degree in computer science from Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA, in 2012, and a Ph.D. degree in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA, in 2018.

Dr. Kao is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2024).