The SDU Metaverse Lab is an interdisciplinary research, academic and impact-generating organisation. Unconstrained by disciplines, the Metaverse Lab sees engineers, scientists, designers, artists, and practitioners focusing on creating experiences and technologies that enable people to shape and engage with the future. In the Metaverse Lab, staff and students work together with companies and organisations on projects across disciplines in an environment designed for collaboration and technology transfer.
Our research is motivated by a single aim: delivering science and technology for the benefit of society at scale. Within the broad interdisciplinary space of the Metaverse Lab, our work converges on three interconnected themes.
In Human–AI Interaction, we develop AI systems that work with and alongside people — from multi-agent logistics and swarm control in hospital settings to adaptive AI decision-making, affective computing for emotion-aware support systems, and AI-driven game environments including game twins: lightweight interactive counterparts of real-world processes designed to explain complex ideas, lower barriers to entry, and build awareness and resilience.
In Digital and Technical Literacy, we investigate how children, students, and educators can be better prepared for the digital transformation of the labour market — through STEM education programmes, teaching materials for primary and secondary schools, teacher training in emerging technologies, and AI-powered educational tools.
In Health and Wellbeing Technology, we build computational methods that improve how healthcare is delivered and experienced — including AI systems for capturing and structuring clinical conversations, causal AI for medical interventions, and game-based approaches to therapeutics and diagnostics. Across all three themes, we work closely with industry, healthcare, defence, and public-sector partners to ensure our research translates into real-world impact.
Our faculty lead the Game Development and Learning Technologies program, working with students, visitors, and our many partner companies and organisations. Our students of the Game Development and Learning Technologies form the crucial front end engineering link between back-end engineering and the actual users of information systems, with deep technical expertise and design skills who can ensure systems are useful and impactful – and ready for the future. Our alumni have gone on to share their unique skills and competencies across the Creative Industries.
