James Calvert

James Calvert is a Senior Lecturer in Animation at the University of South Australia’s UniSA Creative. With 20 years of industry experience, he founded The People’s Republic of Animation and Six Foot Kid, specializing in animation, VR, and video games. His PhD focused on narrative VR for education, yielding publications in Q1 journals like Computers & Education and Virtual Reality, alongside the VR documentary Thin Ice VR, which highlights climate change impacts in Antarctica.

Education & Research: James holds a PhD by Publication from Torrens University Australia, emphasizing narrative VR’s educational applications. His research spans Specialist Studies in Education, AI-driven Image Processing, and Cognitive Sciences, with a practice-based approach to embodied narrative VR design.

Research Themes:

• Immersive educational VR experiences
• Educational impact of narrative design in VR
• Climate change communication through VR
• Student engagement and knowledge transfer

Awards & Recognition:

• Academic: Australian Teachers of Media Awards 2022 (Best Screen Production), Torrens University HDR Research Commendation 2020
• Industry: Multiple VR/Animation accolades including Barcelona Planet Film Festival 2022, Cannes Worldwide Film Festival 2022

Collaborations & Grants: Worked with institutions like the South Australian Film Corporation and Adelaide Film Festival. Key projects include Thin Ice VR (exhibited globally) and Kokoda VR, exploring historical empathy through immersive narratives.

Labs/Teams: Part of UniSA Creative, a hub for interdisciplinary research in creative technologies and education.