Dr Kurtis Weir
Dr Kurtis Weir is a Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and situated at the Digital Media Technology (DMT) Lab. His research focuses are in HCI, Virtual and Augmented Reality (XR), Assistive Technologies, accessibility for disabled people, and design philosophies.
Dr Weir completed his PhD in Computer Science at the University of Wolverhampton, his doctorate being an awarded joint funded studentship between the University of Wolverhampton and Beacon Centre for the Blind with £75k funding granted.
His project, titled “On Informing the Creation of Assistive Tools in Virtual Reality for Severely Visually Disabled Individuals” encompasses the focus of his research, looking at how we can utilise emerging technologies, like VR systems, as powerful accessibility tools for people with impairments.
Dr Weir has experience working with disability charities as well as organisations within the disability sector. He has business experience having successfully been awarded a InnovateUK grant of £35k and has undergone training towards the creation of SMEs. Previously he has worked as a trainer teaching DevOps, and has experience teaching at all levels between 3-7.
Dr Weir has always had an interest in user interfaces which is why emerging technologies like VR and AR systems first interested him; how do we deliver normalised interaction methods for non-traditional systems?
He has a deep interest in gaming, game design and philosophy, and game interaction, explaining his natural interest of VR systems as well as UI principles. Additionally, communication is also a keen interest of his and he has previously taught communication skills, interview skills, and business skills.