Huiwen Zhao

Dr. Huiwen Zhao is a Senior Lecturer in Games Design at Bournemouth University, with a focus on interactive storytelling, virtual reality (VR), and mass customization. Her work bridges user experience (UX) research with practical game design and VR applications. Contact: hzhao@bournemouth.ac.uk

Education:

• PhD in Emotion-driven Interactive Storytelling (China Scholarship Council, 2012)

Research Interests: Dr. Zhao’s research centers on creating immersive, emotion-aware digital experiences through games design and VR. Her work explores consumer behavior in mass customization, affective storytelling techniques, and innovative applications of VR for education and training. She also investigates how digital narratives can be optimized for user engagement and educational impact.

Grants & Projects: She has led or contributed to projects funded by the EU Horizon 2020 MSCA, National Social Science Foundation of China, and Bournemouth University’s Centre for Excellence in Media Practice. Topics include affective storytelling, VR training simulators, and interactive video design.

Collaborations: Dr. Zhao collaborates with researchers like Dr. L. McLoughlin, Prof. A. Pasko, and Dr. V. Hulusic. She co-developed the StoryPlaces Authoring Tool for locative storytelling and has published extensively on emotion-driven design and 3D customization toolkits.