Igor Mayer

Igor Mayer is a Professor of Serious Games, Innovation & Society at Breda University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands) and an endowed 0.2fte Professor of 'Playful Organizations and Learning Systems' at Tilburg University's Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences. His research focuses on gaming-simulation, serious games, and digital technologies for policy analysis, organizational learning, and spatial planning. He leads the Academy for AI, Games & Media (AGM) at Breda and has held visiting roles at Beijing Institute of Technology (China) and Delft University of Technology (Netherlands).

Key research interests include maritime spatial planning (via the MSP Challenge simulation platform), urban digital twins, and the societal impact of immersive technologies. He has coordinated European projects (e.g., FP7, H2020) and advised organizations like Shell, the Netherlands Police Academy, and the Port of Rotterdam. His work bridges policy analysis, complex systems, and stakeholder engagement in domains such as water management, crisis response, and infrastructure planning.

Award-winning projects include the MSP Challenge, a globally applied boundary object for transboundary governance. His 150+ publications span journals like Marine Policy and Simulation & Gaming, with a current H-index of 31. He co-founded networks like SAGANET and GaLA, and serves as associate editor for Simulation & Gaming and Water.

Recent activities include leading the EU-funded NO-REGRETS project on North Sea renewable energy and co-developing the VESPER initiative on virtual humans. His future research emphasizes playful organizations, digital innovation districts, and ethical AI applications in public policy.