Maria Roussou

Dr. Maria Roussou is an Associate Professor in Interactive Systems at the Department of Informatics & Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her work bridges computer science, cultural heritage, and education through immersive technologies.

Her primary research interests include Human-Computer Interaction, eXtended Reality (Virtual and Mixed Reality), Cultural Technology, Digital Heritage, Interactive Storytelling, and Information Visualization. She focuses on designing and evaluating interactive environments for education and museums, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design, child-computer interaction, and user experience.

Her recent publications span topics such as VR learning games, collaborative decision-making in urban VR, tangible interaction in museums, artificial locomotion, and physics-based hand interaction. These works reflect a consistent trend toward enhancing engagement, reflection, and sociality in immersive experiences, particularly in cultural and educational contexts.

• Keynote speaker at IEEE Virtual Reality 2025
• Speaker at ACM MobileHCI '23
• Invited speaker at University of Chicago

She leads and participates in significant research projects such as CHESS and EMOTIVE, focusing on personalized and emotive storytelling in museums. While no specific grants are listed, her extensive project involvement suggests active grant funding.

She has curated exhibitions like 'Breathing Walls' and contributed to major art and technology festivals including SIGGRAPH and Ars Electronica, demonstrating a strong integration of research, art, and public engagement.