Strengthening Research Collaboration Between Germany and Canada

At Dalhousie University in Halifax, Hinkenjann and Eurich met researchers from the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Visualization & Graphics, and Algorithms & Bioinformatics. Discussions with Dirk Arnold and other researchers, together with visits to the university’s laboratories, highlighted several areas of overlap with the IVC’s research activities. In a talk, André Hinkenjann presented current projects and research priorities of the institute.

At the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton, the focus shifted to Generative AI in Games. In a joint workshop at Prof. Scott Bateman’s SPECTRAL Lab, researchers from both institutions discussed how generative AI is changing the development of games, interactive applications and digital content. Topics included asset generation, adaptive game worlds, personalized player experiences, and the ways in which development processes and roles in game design are evolving through the use of generative models.

The exchange also led to concrete research questions for potential future collaboration. These included adaptive systems that respond to user behaviour, as well as approaches combining AI-based methods with Human-Computer Interaction and Games Technology.

At York University in Toronto, the academic exchange continued with additional perspectives from Human-Computer Interaction, perception research and Visual Computing. Hinkenjann and Eurich visited several laboratories led by Prof. Robert Allison at the Centre for Vision Research and held discussions with Scott MacKenzie, Laurence Harris and Emily Kuang about current research approaches and possible areas for future collaboration.

At York University, André Hinkenjann also presented the IVC’s research activities in a 90-minute talk followed by a discussion. The meetings opened up further opportunities for joint research activities and closer academic cooperation between York University and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg.