Fred CharlesView profile
Professor
Professor Fred Charles serves as Head of Department for Creative Technology at Bournemouth University, specializing in computational intelligence applied to simulated worlds. His expertise spans artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and interactive narrative systems, with significant contributions to virtual reality and brain-computer interface technologies. His research has led to award-winning interactive systems and numerous publications in top-tier conferences and journals. Education: PhD in Computer Science ("Intelligent Virtual Actors in Interactive Storytelling") Master's degree in Computer Aided Graphical Technology Applications BSc in Computer Science Professor Charles' research focuses on the intersection of AI, narrative systems, and immersive technologies. His work explores how computational intelligence can enhance virtual environments, particularly through brain-computer interfaces that enable more natural human-virtual agent interactions. Recent projects investigate social anxiety in VR settings, multimodal interaction frameworks, and personalized dialogue systems for virtual characters. His research bridges theoretical AI concepts with practical applications in healthcare, education, and entertainment domains. His most recent publications demonstrate a clear trend toward applying interactive narrative techniques to real-world problems, particularly in mental health assessment (OCD, social anxiety), responsible gambling initiatives, and educational applications. The work increasingly incorporates multimodal input analysis and neurofeedback mechanisms to create more responsive and adaptive virtual experiences. Scientific Awards: Blue Sky Award (ACM Hypertext, 2018) Best Application (International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling, 2013) Professor Charles has successfully supervised numerous PhD students working on topics ranging from crowd simulation to narrative generation systems. His research has been supported by substantial grants from Innovate UK, Economic and Social Research Council, AHRC/EPSRC, and the European Commission, including projects on believable agent behavior in VR, responsible online gambling, and machine understanding for interactive storytelling. He maintains active collaborations with researchers across Europe and has contributed significantly to the development of narrative medicine applications.







