J. Edward Swan II

J. Edward Swan II serves as the Interim Associate Dean of Research for the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering (BCoE) at Mississippi State University and holds the prestigious Virginia Carron Eiland and Brent Eiland Professorship in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Previously, he served as Interim Department Head in 2017 and 2018. His academic journey includes a B.S. in Computer Science from Auburn University (1989), and M.S. (1992) and Ph.D. (1997) degrees in Computer Science from Ohio State University.

Dr. Swan's research primarily focuses on augmented and virtual reality, applied perception, data science, empirical methods, human-computer interaction, human factors, and visualization. His work centers on understanding the perception and technology required to give virtual objects definite spatial locations, including depth and layout perception and depth presentation methods. He also investigates efficient data science tools through his leadership of the Spatial Perception and Augmented Reality Lab (SPAAR Lab) and collaboration with the Data Science for the Social Sciences Laboratory.

His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on depth perception in augmented and virtual reality environments, with particular attention to eye tracking metrics, context switching effects, and x-ray vision applications. His research demonstrates a consistent commitment to empirical methods and human factors analysis, with applications spanning military, medical, and everyday contexts. His work shows increasing sophistication in measurement techniques and experimental design over the years.

• Induction into the 2024 Class of the VGTC Virtual Reality Academy
• 2023 VGTC Virtual Reality Service Award
• 2022 ISMAR Impact Paper Award
• Best Poster, Honorable Mention award at IEEE Virtual Reality 2020
• Winner of an Honorable Mention award at IEEE Virtual Reality 2012

Dr. Swan has successfully mentored numerous graduate students who have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry. His research has been consistently supported by major funding agencies including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, NASA, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the Office of Naval Research. He has organized and taught numerous tutorials at major conferences and serves in leadership roles including chair of the IEEE VR steering committee. His lab culture emphasizes teamwork and the pursuit of intellectual excellence through scholarship of the highest quality.