Dr Juan Hiriart Vera
| Biography | Dr Juan Hiriart has been a faculty member at the University of Salford since 2010, initially joining as an External Lecturer in Game Studies before transitioning to a full-time Lecturer in Interactive Media Arts and Design. He has also delivered digital design and creative technology courses across Chile, Malaysia, and China university programmes. Beyond academia, Dr Hiriart brings over two decades of experience as an artist, designer, and coder. His professional career began in 1994 as an illustrator and concept artist, creating artwork for books, storyboards, and TV commercials. From 2003 to 2007, he led a multidisciplinary team of designers, programmers, and educational researchers, developing learning resources for preschool, primary, and adult education. Between 2009 and 2014, Dr Hiriart worked in the games industry, designing and developing digital games for clients such as BBC, ITV, United Airlines, Sony, Philips, EMI, Pepsi, Vimto, Cancer Research, and Cambridge ESOL. His projects reached millions of players, earned prestigious awards (including DADI, Big Chip, Roses Design, and Webby), and secured top rankings in competitive markets such as the Apple (UK) App Store. |
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| Research Interests | Dr. Hiriart's research focuses on harnessing immersive technologies for social good, with a particular emphasis on developing educational games for history, heritage, and the sciences. A central aspect of his current work involves collaborating with South American Indigenous communities to revitalise endangered languages through digital and immersive media. His research aims to preserve and promote Indigenous languages and cultural heritage in the digital age by employing community-driven methodologies and participatory design approaches. His key research interests include: - Serious and critical gaming - Game-based learning - Digital and cultural heritage - Participatory design - Immersive storytelling |
| Teaching and Learning | MSc Games and Extended Reality (level 7) - Games and Extended Reality Lab I - Games and Extended Reality Lab II - Major Project BA (Hons) Contemporary History and Politics - Making Public History (level 4) |
| PhD Supervision Availability | Yes |
| PhD Topics | Serious games, game-based learning, virtual heritage, immersive technologies, extended reality |