Lector Nick Degens

Dr Nick Degens specialises in interactive creative digital technology. He obtained his PhD with research on the development of interactive narratives featuring intelligent virtual (or Artificial Intelligence) characters for intercultural training. For more than ten years, he has worked as a lector at various universities of applied sciences, primarily within the creative industries, focusing on the theme of social impact. His research at the intersection of people and technology takes place within (inter)national and interdisciplinary practice-based research projects, in collaboration with entrepreneurs from the creative (technology) industry, the IT sector, public organisations and governments.

His ambition lies in understanding how (and whether) interactive creative technology can be used to achieve lasting and meaningful behavioural and systemic change. He approaches this from several perspectives:

• Exploring the (im)possibilities of creatively applying innovative technological tools or methods, such as extended reality, (generative) artificial intelligence or serious games, to address individual and societal challenges;

• Acquiring transferable knowledge about the creation and design processes of technologically mediated experiences or tools, such as a VR tool that exposes healthcare professionals to stressful situations, or an immersive experience that allows users to create music without sound;

• Understanding under what conditions technology can be deployed and applied in a meaningful, useful and relevant way (in terms of accessibility, digital literacy and inclusion, and emotional engagement).

People at the centre

Through his research at HKU, Degens aims to discover how the power of the arts can be harnessed to create technology that has a lasting positive impact on people and society. People and their experiences are central to this. According to Degens, it is essential to collaborate with creative and artistic makers, social partners, as well as students and teacher-researchers. Only in this way, he argues, can we ensure that the technologies being developed have a meaningful impact on their users, and stand a real chance of surviving beyond the development phase.

Contact

nick.degens@hku.nl