Anaïs Bernard

Anaïs Bernard is a Lecturer in Visual Arts at the Université Catholique de l'Ouest (UCO Angers), serving as Academic Manager of the Visual Arts Department and Educational Manager for L1/L2 Visual Arts programs. She heads the Transversality Minor in Visual Arts and is a Full Researcher at the Center for Humanities and Societies Research (CHUS), with affiliations to the CiTu-Paragraphe research team (EA 349). Her academic roles include organizing international colloquia and directing master's theses.

Education highlights include a Doctorate in Plastic Arts and Art Science (University of Lorraine, 2016), specialized trainings in Interior Design, Audiovisual Production, and Body Language (2017). Professional milestones include winning the WWFF Honorary Award (2014) and NIVEA/CNRS Research Prize (2012).

Research focuses on Emersiology – the interplay between artistic immersion and neurophysiological responses. Key themes include body-brain interactions in immersive art, emotional intelligence development through artistic devices, and interdisciplinary research-creation methodologies. Notable projects include organizing Metz en Immersion (2015) and maintaining the Corps en Immersion blog.

Publications span 50+ peer-reviewed articles/chapters since 2013, emphasizing immersive art's role in redefining human perception. Recent work explores urban data visualization (2023), haptic interfaces (2023), and neurofeedback in digital dance (2022). Awards include recognition for bridging neuroscience and artistic creativity.

Teaching spans 8 years, with over 100h annual instruction in visual arts theory and practice. She advises master's projects like L’Histopad: Patrimony Mediation Tool and oversees admissions for UCO's arts programs. Active in academic outreach through conferences, jury panels, and exhibition curation.

Labs/Teams: CHUS (UCO Angers), CiTu-Paragraphe (EA 349), and collaborative initiatives like the Palier research project on perception-emotion dynamics.