Brian Packer
Associate Lecturer
About
Brian commenced his academic journey at the University of Greenwich, earning 1st Class Honours for his Bachelors of Engineering in ‘Games and Entertainment Systems Software Engineering’ in 2017 and distinguished by his award-winning dissertation on the architectural design of a novel 2D game engine. Brian set out on a year in industry with roles spanning game design, data management, and software engineering. In 2019, he was invited to return to Greenwich to embark on his PhD in Computer Engineering, where he also began teaching as an Engineering Lab Technician, PGR Teaching Assistant for Software Engineering, and Project Development Advisor for Undergraduate Engineer Dissertations.
In 2021, Brian joined University of Chichester as an Associate Lecturer, where he helped to develop modules across a variety of areas; including Data Science & Maths, Software & Mechanical Engineering, and Creative Industries, and he has led the development of our BSc. Computer Science modules since 2022.
Professional
Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Award for PhD Research (University of Greenwich)
Publications
Book
Packer, B. & Keates, S. (2024) “Chapter 2 – HCI Design Methods”. In: Stephanidis C., & Salvendy G. (Eds.) ‘Human-Computer Interaction: Designing for Usability, Inclusion & Sustainability’. CRC Press / Taylor Francis.
Journal
Packer, B., Keates, S. (2023). “Designing AI Writing Workflow UX for Reduced Cognitive Loads” In: Antona, M., Stephanidis, C. (Eds.) Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 14021. Springer, Cham. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35897-5_23
Conference
Packer, B., Keates, S., Baker, G. (2021). “The Creative Design-Engineer Divide: Modular Architecture and Workflow UX”. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S. (Eds.) HCI International 2021 – Late Breaking Posters. HCII 2021. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol. 1498. Springer, Cham. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90176-9_59
Dissertation
Packer, B. (2017). “Engineering a 2D Game Development Toolkit using OpenGL and C#.Net”. BEng. Dissertation. Doncheva, R. (Svsr.) Dept. of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B42yal8eUrI6bVJTQnViZG9fMGc
Research
Beyond his PhD research, Brian is also developing projects in areas exploring the role of Generative AI in Technology-Enhanced Learning for SEN learners, AI Knowledge Management Systems for Enterprise, ITNB Organisation Automation through Microservice Computing, and Computational Modelling for Gameplay Systems Engineering.
PhD
Brian is researching technologies which enhance creativity by making apps more accessible for video game artists and related artistry. From combining Generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT) to build Natural Language assistant (Co-Pilots) to utilising machine learning for Creative Computing (e.g. DALL-E2, Stable Diffusion), his research explores how we can reduce technical barriers to better cater for the diverse needs of artists with a blend of experiences and backgrounds. Combining empirical research into cognitive creativity within industry, and through extensive interdisciplinary collaboration, he is working towards standardising our knowledge of designing apps which empowers artists by freeing their creative process.
