Claire O'Brien

Claire O'Brien is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Animation at Teesside University, affiliated with the Department of Digital Arts and Animation within the School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies. She serves as Course Leader for the MA Animation program and coordinates Animex Screen, the international student film festival linked to the annual Animex event. Her academic journey includes roles at Northumbria University and South Tyneside College before returning to Teesside in 2022.

Education:

• Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting and Printmaking), University of East London, 1997
• Post-Graduate Diploma in Arts Management, Northumbria University, 2000
• Master of Computer Animation, Teesside University, 2005
• Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PgCTLHE), Teesside University, 2024
• Fellow of Advance Higher Education (FHEA), awarded November 2024

Claire's research focuses on Animation Studies, Immersive Technologies (AR/VR/MR) for education, healthcare, and industrial training, Full-dome 360 filmmaking, and pedagogical innovation in digital arts. Her recent work explores how animated visualizations in film convey complex information through interfaces like HUDs and holograms, and how animation functions in public and cultural spaces such as cruise ships and heritage exhibitions.

Her recent publications from 2023–2024 demonstrate a consistent engagement with animation as a tool for communication, cultural storytelling, and technological critique. Themes include representational vehicles, folklore in digital art, and the integration of generative AI in creative processes, particularly in health awareness contexts like menopause support.

Scientific Awards and Recognitions:

• Fellow of Advance Higher Education (FHEA), 2024
• Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Teesside University, 2024

Claire leads the MenopauseXR project funded by Innovate UK (2024–2025), which investigates the use of Generative AI and Extended Reality to support menopause awareness and education. She has no listed formal students, but her role as course leader and lecturer implies significant student mentorship. Her enterprise activity includes participation in the XR Stories XR Accelerator in 2024, focusing on commercializing mobile augmented reality research.

Claire is actively involved in Animex, a major animation and games festival, where she coordinates Animex Screen. She also collaborates with cultural institutions such as the National Trust, having contributed animation and prints to the exhibition "Washington: Fact, Fiction and Folklore." Her work bridges academia, creative practice, and public engagement.