RIG Launch left to right Dr Pauline Mackay, Professor Neil McDonnell and Dr Julie Williamson

The University of Glasgow is set to transform the landscape of Extended Reality (XR) research with the launch of its newest interdisciplinary research centre, Realities and Immersion Glasgow (RIG).

This innovative initiative represents a strategic leap forward in exploring the potential of immersive realities across multiple disciplines at UofG.

Led by co-directors including the College of Arts & Humanities Professor Neil McDonnell & Dr Pauline Mackay and the College of Science & Engineering Dr Julie Williamson, it is hoped that RIG emerges as a beacon of technological innovation and collaborative research not just at Glasgow but across the Higher Education sector.

Professor Neil McDonnell said: “RIG represents a distinctively ambitious approach to interdisciplinary XR research. We’re creating a collaborative network that bridges arts, humanities, science, and engineering to position Glasgow as a global leader in immersive innovation.”

Dr Pauline Mackay said: “Our research centre will bring together diverse expertise to explore how immersive realities can transform cultural heritage, education, and human connections across disciplines.”

Dr Julie Williamson said: “RIG is about rigorous, human-centred science stories. We’re not just developing immersive realities, but deeply understanding how they shape human experience and interaction in virtual spaces.”

The centre will leverage the university’s substantial XR infrastructure investments, including the Advanced Research Centre (ARC-XR) and the Partick Burgh Hall Teaching Lab.

RIG’s aims to:

  • Build upon the University of Glasgow’s standing as an innovation hub, creating the conditions for economic stimulus for the city, the region, and the country.
  • Enhance collaboration across and within disciplines through the use of immersive technology.
  • Expand the horizon for virtualisation and human connection, improving access and accessibility, creating economic opportunity, and reducing travel, waste, and risk.
  • Harness the full potential of the curiosity, creativity, and enterprise that characterise this research-rich environment to positively impact the ways in which XR learning and teaching is innovated, implemented, experienced and evaluated.

 

 

 

First published: 14 April 2025

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