I am Julian, currently working as a tenured assistant professor in the Interaction/Multimedia group at Utrecht University.

My current research in human-computer interaction and human-centred AI investigates benefits and harms of interactive systems. In summary, my overall research goal is to contribute to the theoretical understanding and design and implementation of interactive systems that provide users with healthy, meaningful, and enjoyable experiences. This involves assessing and modeling user states to predict when experiences go awry, building and leveraging insights from games user and player experience research as a foundation for a holistic understanding of enjoyable and meaningful digital experiences, implementing and validating novel interaction concepts for solving problems inherent to novel technology and to enable suitable and enjoyable experiences, and studying social interactions between users to address the human factors of negative experiences, such as toxicity. My research also investigates how interactive systems can help mitigate their negative outcomes in adaptivity and intervention approaches. With that, I also investigate how to mitigate the negative outcomes of interacting with systems, such as being targeted or exposed to toxicity and harassment in online environments. My research involves mixed methods with a focus on quantitative research and data-driven approaches.

Before my current position, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada with Dr. Regan Mandryk. I hold a doctorate degree (Dr. Rer.-Nat.) in computer science from Ulm University in Ulm, Germany. As part of my Ph.D. thesis, I investigated methods for player state assessment and adaptivity approaches that leverage information about that state to provide an overall improved experience in digital games. Previously, I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at Augsburg University in Augsburg, Germany.

You can find me on Google Scholar, Twitter, ResearchGate, and LinkedIn.

If you are interested in my research or want to collaborate, feel free to reach out. You can find contact information on my institutional website.