Meet Our Team
We are a diverse and multidisciplinary group of researchers, scholars, designers, dreamers, and explorers. We bring together experts within artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, virtual reality, and design. We collaborate on cutting-edge research that advances the science of experiences.
Faculty and Staff
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Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera, Ph.D.
Director & Assistant Professor, Division of Games
(he/they)
Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera, Ph.D.
Director & Assistant Professor, Division of Games
Dr. Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera is an Assistant Professor and Founding Faculty of the Division of Games at the University of Utah, where they direct the Laboratory for Quantitative Experience Design. Prior to joining the faculty at Utah, Rogelio was a research scientist at Sandia National Laboratories and Disney Research, and earned their BSc in Computer Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and PhD in Computer Science from North Carolina State University. Rogelio has authored over 40 articles and books and has obtained nearly $1.5 million in support for their research program toward establishing a science of game design, including the Early Career Scholar Award from the Mellon Foundation-funded Design Justice AI Institute, the CAREER Award and collaborative grants from the National Science Foundation, sponsorships from the games industry, and grants from the Department of Energy, IARPA, and the US Naval Research Laboratory.
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Munzer Abusham, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, and Studio Division Lead UX Specialist
Dr. Monthir Ali is a Sudanese virtual reality (VR) researcher with a PhD in Computer Science and expertise in VR perception and interaction. Monthir's research centers on gaze guidance and event segmentation within virtual reality environments. Dr. Ali is passionate about leveraging VR technology to improve gameplay experiences and learning outcomes.
R&D Division Students
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M. Gardone
Computing Ph.D. Student
(they/them)
M. Gardone
Computing Ph.D. Student
M. Gardone is a Ph.D. candidate within the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Their research spans computational psychology, artificial intelligence, interactive storytelling, planning, [science of] game design, and machine learning.
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Pablo Sauma-Chacón
Computing Ph.D. Student
Pablo Sauma-Chacón is a Ph.D. candidate within the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. His research spans AI in Games, Automated Planning.
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Yunxiao Cai, MEAE
Engineering Lead
(he/him)
Yunxiao Cai, MEAE
Engineering Lead
Yunxiao joined the QED Lab as a TA for CS 5360/6360 in 2023, and stayed on to serve as the Lead Engineer for the Studio Division.
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Akash Singh, MEAE
Production Lead
(he/him)
Akash Singh, MEAE
Production Lead
Akash first engaged the lab in the context of the Spring 2022 offering of GAMES 4900: Psychology of Games, and then joined the lab as a Production Lead Scientist in the Spring of 2024. Akash's interests lie in creating amazing team environments, and he lives by the creed: people first, not profits.
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Cole Elder, B.Sc.
Design Scientist
(he/they)
Cole Elder, B.Sc.
Design Scientist
Cole first engaged the lab in the context of the Spring 2022 offering of GAMES 4900: Psychology of Games, and then joined the lab as a Design Scientist in the Spring of 2024. Cole's interests lie in psychological approaches to game design, exploring how people can connect with games, and understanding what about games elicits emotional responses in people.
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Vincent Huang, MEAE
Technical Art Lead
(he/him)
Vincent Huang, MEAE
Technical Art Lead
Vincent joined the QED Lab as an RA for the lab in Fall 2023 working on attention cues in Virtual Reality, and stayed on to serve as the Lead Technical Artist for the Studio Division.
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Anastasiia Murza, MEAE
Art Lead
(she/her)
Anastasiia Murza, MEAE
Art Lead
Anastasiia joined the QED Lab in Spring 2024 as the Lead Artist for the Studio Division.