Richard Zhao

Richard Zhao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary. He leads the Serious Games Research Group , focusing on developing immersive technologies (e.g., VR, eye-tracking) and AI algorithms to enhance training, learning, and education through serious games. His work emphasizes adaptive experiences and automated content generation for educational applications.

Research Interests:

• Serious Games for Education
• Artificial Intelligence in Virtual Environments
• Immersive Technologies (VR/AR)
• Collaborative Systems
• Procedural Content Generation

Recent Work Trends: Recent publications highlight advancements in AI-driven poetry generation, VR interaction techniques, and collaborative problem-solving models. His work often bridges computational methods with human-centric design, particularly in manufacturing simulations and educational VR systems.

Labs/Teams: He oversees the Serious Games Research Group, hosting projects like the Immersive Virtual School (IVS) and GEARS: Gearing up for Education. These initiatives integrate AI and VR to address real-world training challenges in engineering and education.

Teaching: Teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on Game AI, Game Development, and introductory computer science. Courses include CPSC 686 (Research in Game AI) and CPSC 586 (Game AI).