Bjorn Sommer

Bjorn Sommer is a Tutor and Year 1 Lead for the Innovative Design Engineering (IDE) program at the Royal College of Art (RCA), School of Design. He holds a PhD from Bielefeld University and has extensive experience in interdisciplinary research combining Computer Science, Visualization, and Design. His work focuses on scientific visualization, immersive technologies, and bioinformatics, with notable projects like CELLmicrocosmos and Collective Behaviour Visualisation.

Research interests include cell modeling, stereoscopic visualization, and virtual reality applications in biology and animal behavior. He has received awards such as the Best Animation of Show at Stereoscopic Displays and Applications (2016) and the Yasara Prize (2014). Key funding includes DAAD Grant (2018–19) and NSFC Award (2014–15).

Publications span over two decades, with recent work on immersive analytics, bio-inspired design, and VR in medical visualization. He advises students like Zidong (Jerry) Lin and collaborates internationally on projects like the NEMO Explorer XR ocean co-design environment.