Roel Vertegaal has been appointed Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at Radboud University’s Faculty of Science effective May 1, 2024.
Vertegaal will be teaching and researching the topic of human-computer interaction. ‘How can we design computers such that people can use them more effectively? My specialization is the invention of novel interaction techniques. For example, I invented the attention-aware interface in the iPhone as well as the foldable smartphone, which makes using phones a bit more like using paper. My chair will focus on the development of technologies that combat societal problems caused by the use of computers. A good example is smartphone addiction: attention-aware devices are a solution.’ To this end, the professor is currently working on a new theory for designing and testing user interfaces based on predictability of functions by the human brain, with applications in AI.
About Roel Vertegaal
Roel Vertegaal (Hazerswoude-Rijndijk, 1968) studied Electronic Music at Utrecht Conservatory and Computer Science at Bradford University. He graduated in 1994, receiving his PhD from the University of Twente in 1998. He worked as a professor in Canada where he founded the well-known Human Media Lab, developing the flexible phone, eye-controlled Personas (Apple Vision Pro), holographic teleconferencing and interactive drone swarms (Flying LEGO). He also worked as head of research in human-computer interaction in an industrial research lab. He won the ACM SIGCHI Academy Award for his achievements, one of the highest honors in his field. The Human Media Lab (www.humanmedialab.org) will be moving with him to Radboud University.