معرفی
Elif Surer is an Associate Professor and Associate Director at Middle East Technical University's Graduate School of Informatics, Department of Multimedia Informatics. She leads the Entertainment Computing and Interactive Systems Laboratory (ECISLab) and actively contributes to METU's entrepreneurship initiatives through GIMER (Entrepreneurship Research Center). Her academic leadership extends to international projects including EU Horizon Europe initiatives and collaborations with institutions like Stanford University's University Innovation Fellows program.
Dr. Surer's research focuses on the intersection of game technologies, extended reality, and practical applications across diverse domains. Her work spans serious games for CBRNe (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive) training, virtual reality applications for mining safety, archaeological visualization, and educational technology. She has developed frameworks for heterotopias as discursive playgrounds, modular serious game development for virtual laboratories, and advanced techniques in persona building for game design. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges computer science with fields like archaeology, healthcare, and occupational safety, creating innovative solutions that address real-world challenges through immersive technologies.
Her publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to top journals including IEEE Transactions on Games, Virtual Reality, and JMIR Serious Games. Recent work shows increasing focus on biological network visualization in XR environments, advanced testing frameworks for deep learning systems, and sophisticated persona modeling techniques that go beyond traditional approaches. Her research trajectory reflects growing integration of AI with immersive technologies, particularly in specialized training applications and scientific visualization.
- METU Performance Awards (2020, 2021)
- Best Poster award at METU Graduate School of Informatics Open Research Day
- TÜBİTAK Above-Threshold-Awards
- Featured in Researchers Active in Technical Games Research list
Dr. Surer actively supervises numerous graduate students across multiple projects, with recent completions including theses on clickbait detection, VR for mining safety, and adaptive serious games for children with learning difficulties. She leads significant research funding including EU Horizon Europe projects like eNOTICE-2 (focused on CBRNe training), the MR4MS project for mine safety, and the Quantum Flagship project QuTE4E. Her laboratory environment fosters collaboration between computer science, architecture, and other disciplines, creating opportunities for students to engage in cutting-edge research with practical applications.
As director of ECISLab, she maintains strong connections with industry partners including METU Teknokent, and actively participates in entrepreneurship initiatives through METU GIMER. Her work with the University Innovation Fellows program demonstrates commitment to developing entrepreneurial skills among students, while her research on virtual reality applications continues to expand into new domains including healthcare, archaeology, and emergency response training.
