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.