Welcome, Professor Johanna Pirker

What have been the most important stages in your academic career?

During my master’s degree in computer science at Graz University of Technology, I had the chance to do a research stay at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Together with a physicist, I was able to carry out my first research on virtual worlds there, which is when I discovered my fascination for immersive technologies and the potential of games in research and teaching. Back in Graz, I started a tenure track and founded the Game Lab Graz, where I set up a research group on this topic. After that, I worked at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich.

Even though it was not directly part of my academic career, I was always very close to the games industry, partly because of my work at the games manufacturer Electronic Arts. It was there that I was able to get a taste of the games industry and contribute to titles such as “FIFA” and “Need for Speed”. These experiences had a lasting impact on my fascination for game development. Even today, I still enjoy supporting studios in developing innovative game ideas – whether in an advisory, researching or creative capacity, as well as working on my own projects from time to time.

What are your main areas of research?

I am particularly interested in the potential of different interactive, immersive, virtual environments, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and especially games, and their application in a wide variety of areas, such as education, science, therapy and industry. My research focuses on the intersection of various disciplines: artificial intelligence, games research, VR and AR, human-computer interaction, data analytics and EduTech. 

What are you most looking forward to in your new position at the TUM? 

I am particularly looking forward to working with the students and colleagues at the TUM and to the exceptionally dynamic environment in Munich. Research, industry, art and culture come together in such a lively way in this city. This is an incredibly fascinating environment to explore the intersection of technology, creativity and society. I am looking forward to developing new ideas here and working together to drive forward exciting innovations in a wide variety of areas.

What was your biggest “aha” moment in your scientific career? 

A particularly formative “aha” moment in my academic career was the, unfortunately sobering, realization of how deeply rooted science skepticism is in parts of our society. This experience has strongly influenced my motivation in research and teaching. Ever since then, it has become all the more important to me to not only share scientific findings in the academic world, but to also communicate them actively and comprehensibly to the public. That is why I try to present research results on various channels in such a way that they reach as many people as possible, be it through YouTube videos, public lectures or via my Twitch channel, where I also stream regularly on technical and scientifically relevant topics.

What is at the top of your personal bucket list?     

Outside of my career, sports and music play a central role in my life. Now that I am in Munich, one of the top items on my personal bucket list is to expand my “mountain list” with new destinations in the surrounding area. The proximity to the Alps is of course ideal for this. In terms of music, I hope to be able to perform on stage with our indie rock band “Coinflip Cutie” in Munich one day. And maybe I will finally manage to publish my little indie point-and-click adventure game.