ABOUT US

Dr. Wanda Gregory

I am a bit of a hybrid having worked in the game industry for companies including Sierra Online, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro and Microsoft before teaching at the University of Washington Bothell courses in game and interactive media design and media studies. In all my classes I find ways to integrate my professional and academic background to students. The focus of my research is finding new ways through games, avatars and technology (AI, virtual reality, wearables) to help transform health and medicine.

In addition to my teaching and work in industry, I have served on the board of trustees for organizations including: Cornish School of the Arts, On the Boards, Powerful Voices and Reel Girls. I also serve as an advisor for several technology and educational startups and labs.

My current research focuses on the use of games, and game technologies to create immersive experiences in the management of pain and stress reduction. I also explore the possible intersections between technology, neuroscience, and consciousness studies.

When not teaching or mentoring, I can be found creating VR meditative spaces or in the UK studying cultural and archeaoastronomy.

Dr. Yusuf Pisan

Yusuf Pisan is a Senior Lecturer in the Computing & Software Systems Division at the University of Washington Bothell. Previously he was an Associate Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney where he formed and led the UTS Games Studio. He was a visiting professor at Harvey Mudd College, University of Southern California, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and IT University of Copenhagen (ITU).

His research interests include enabling technologies for computer games, the design of virtual environments that support collaborative work, and computer science education. He founded the Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment conference series and helped foster the Australian games community. His list of publications can be found at Google Scholar.

Yusuf has a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from Northwestern University. Before moving to Seattle in 2017, Yusuf lived in Chicago area for 10 years and in Sydney for 20 years.