Yijing Ji | Design | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Yijing Ji | Design | Best Researcher Award

Beijing Polytechnic University | China

Dr. Yijing Ji is a lecturer at Beijing Polytechnic University with a doctoral degree from Cranfield University. Her expertise lies in design, museum and exhibition design, environmental art, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence. Her research brings together creative practice and technology, with a strong emphasis on spatial design, visitor experience, and the role of sensory interaction in shaping memory and engagement in exhibition contexts. By investigating how human sensory experiences can be enriched through virtual and HCI technologies, she contributes to innovative approaches in exhibition space design and education. She has been actively involved in several ongoing projects, including agent-based modelling to study the impact of museum design on visitor memory, exploring the acceptance and application of artificial intelligence-generated content in higher education, and developing interdisciplinary STEAM-DT teaching models for cultivating innovative literacy. Her work bridges academia and industry, demonstrated through collaborations with universities in China and the UK, as well as leading exhibition and technology companies. She has contributed to projects such as the design of corporate exhibition halls and branding initiatives, generating significant industry income and fostering knowledge exchange between research and practice. Her scholarly outputs include publications in international journals and conferences, with notable works on immersive technologies, multisensory design, and user experience in exhibition spaces. She has also authored educational materials, including a forthcoming Chinese monograph and a career planning textbook. In recognition of her innovative design work, her team received the Red Dot Design Award in the Artificial Intelligence Concept category for their project on interactive children’s clothing design. Although early in her academic career, Dr Ji has already achieved citations by 2 documents, with 2 documents published and an h-index of 1, reflecting her growing influence in her field. Her contributions position her as an emerging researcher with significant potential to shape the future of design and human-technology interaction.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

Ji, Y. (2025). Exploring AIGC’s acceptance and application in different disciplines from higher education perspective.

Ji, Y. (2025). Mapping the landscape of immersive technologies integrating narrative: Bibliometric insights from CiteSpace. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction.

Ji, Y. (2024). Multisensory design in memory research: The £1 coin case in the digital era.

Ji, Y. (2024). Design innovation and user experience of sensory interactive experience in museum exhibition space.

Ji, Y. Discovery for design. China Textile & Apparel Press.

Allan Fowler | UX/UI | Excellence in Research Award

Dr. Allan Fowler | UX/UI | Excellence in Research Award

Associate Professor at University of Auckland, New Zealand

Dr. Allan Fowler is a distinguished academic specializing in game design, educational technologies, augmented and virtual reality, and human-computer interaction, with a strong focus on inclusive design for neurodiverse populations. He currently holds academic appointments in New Zealand and the United States, and has gained international recognition for his research, teaching, and service to the academic and gaming communities. His multidisciplinary work bridges technology, education, and social inclusion, making him a leading voice in the domain of games for learning and digital interaction.

Publication Profile 

Scopus

Educational Background 🎓

  • PhD in Computer Science
    Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand (2010–2014)

Professional Experience 💼

  • Associate Professor, Columbia University (2022–present)

  • Associate Professor, University of California (2020–present)

  • Senior Lecturer, Design Programme, Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries, University of Auckland (2020–present)

Additional Professional Roles:

  • Editor/Associate Editor for:

    • Springer-Nature Humanities & Social Sciences

    • Journal of Applied Computing and Information Technology

    • International Journal of Game-Based Learning

  • Program Committee Member:

    • ACM ITiCSE, SIGCSE

    • Foundations of Digital Games (FDG)

    • iLRN and Game Jam Conferences

  • Board Member: Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA)

  • Judge: NZ Game Awards, Independent Games Festival (IGF)

Research Interests 🔬

  • Game Design and Game Jams

  • Games for Learning and Education Technology

  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

  • Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR)

  • Digital Inclusion and Neurodiversity in Technology Use

  • Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in Game Development

Awards and Honors🏆✨

  • Best Paper Award, ICGJ 2021

  • Presidential Diversity Award – Outstanding Contribution

  • Excellence in Research Award

  • CITRENZ Awards:

    • Collaborative Research

    • Excellence in Educational Innovation

Research Grants (Selected):

  • 2022: InternetNZ Digital Inclusion Grant – STEAM Powered Futures

  • 2021: University of Auckland PBRF Grant – Inner PEACE Project

  • 2017: NSF INCLUDES – SEAPD-STEM, Senior Investigator/Co-PI

Conclusion🌟

Dr. Allan Fowler is a pioneering scholar and educator at the intersection of digital technology, education, and inclusive design. With academic appointments across multiple countries and a portfolio of research that includes games for social good, educational innovation, and interactive technologies, he is making significant contributions to both academia and the global game development community. His leadership in game-based learning and commitment to diversity and inclusion continue to shape future directions in digital education and human-computer interaction.

Publications 📚

  1. 📄 Luxton-Reilly, A., Tempero, E., Arachchilage, N., Chang, A., Denny, P., Fowler, A., et al. (2023)
    Automated Assessment: Experiences From the Trenches.
    📍 25th Australasian Computing Education Conference (ACE)
    🔗 doi:10.1145/3576123.3576124


  2. 📄 Tu, Y.-C., Terragni, V., Tempero, E., Shakil, A., Meads, A., Giacaman, N., Blincoe, K., & Fowler, A. (2022)
    GitHub in the Classroom: Lessons Learnt.
    📍 Australasian Computing Education Conference
    🔗 doi:10.1145/3511861.3511879


  3. 🎮 Lai, G., Kultima, A., Khosmood, F., Pirker, J., Fowler, A., Vecchi, I., et al. (2021)
    Two Decades of Game Jams.
    📍 6th International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons, and Game Creation Events (ICGJ)
    🔗 doi:10.1145/3472688.3472689


  4. 👦 Fowler, A. (2019)
    Jamming with Children.
    📍 14th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (FDG)
    🔗 doi:10.1145/3337722.3341842


  5. 📖 Fowler, A., & Khosmood, F. (2022)
    Game Jams – History, Technology, and Organisation.
    🏢 Springer Nature
    🔗 doi:10.1007/978-3-031-15187-3


  6. 📖 Kultima, A., Fowler, A., & Khosmood, F. (2023)
    There Is No One Way to Jam.
    📍 In: Game Jams – History, Technology, and Organisation
    🔗 doi:10.1007/978-3-031-15187-3_2


  7. 📘 Fowler, A. (2019)
    Beginning iOS AR Game Development: Developing Augmented Reality Apps with Unity and C#.
    🏢 Apress, Berkeley, CA
    Chapters include:

    • 🔍 Hit Testing and Lighting

    • 🌐 Adding Plane Detection and Point Clouds

    • 🎮 Making AR Games


  1. 🗞️ Fowler, A. (2021)
    Explaining China’s Games Ban.
    📍 Newsroom (Ideasroom)
    🔗 Read article


  2. 💊 Baghaei, N., Fowler, A., & Maddison, R. (2020)
    Supporting Disease Prevention and Lifestyle Changes Through Gaming.
    📄 Games for Health Journal, 9(6), 387–388
    🔗 doi:10.1089/g4h.2020.0161


  3. 🎮 Fowler, A., & Pirker, J. (2021)
    Tokenfication – The Potential of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) for Game Development.
    📍 Extended Abstracts of CHI PLAY 2021
    🔗 doi:10.1145/3450337.3483501