Overview
Background
Dr Nilufar (Nell) Baghaei is a Senior Lecturer within the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Queensland and the Co-Director of the Mixed Reality Lab. She leads a high-impact, interdisciplinary research group focused on designing immersive technologies and games and studying their effectiveness in improving mental health, physical health and learning. She has established a strong national and international reputation through prolific publication in top-tier venues, editorial and leadership roles in major journals and conferences, and successful research supervision (Google Scholar h-index: 27, citations: +2450). Her research has also been cited in policy documents, patent documents and news outlets such as Psychology Today and MedicalXpress. Dr Baghaei is currently supervising 12 HDR students (7 as principal) and sits on various UQ committees. She is an Associate Editor of Int Journal Human-Computer Studies, Virtual Reality and Games for Health, and is on the Editorial Board/Programme Committee of ISMAR, Persuasive Technology and several other international conferences. Before joining UQ, she directed the Games and Extended Reality Lab at Massey University, New Zealand.
Availability
- Dr Nell Baghaei is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Research interests
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Virtual Reality, Game-based Learning, AI in Education, Persuasive Technology
Research impacts
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EECS HDR awards: My PhD students, Vibhav Chitale and Achintha Abayasiri, were awarded the Most Innovative Thesis Topic (for his project on mobile games and mental health assessment) and Most Interesting Thesis Topic (for his project on VR visual illusions and balance) respectively.
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Andrew Wong (my thesis student, co-supervised by Yinshu Zhao) won the Most Innovative Use of XR award at 2024 UQ innovation Showcase for his project on "Effects of Customised AI Shopping Assistant in Virtual Reality Shopping".
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Best Paper award - Honorable Mention for "Breaking the Isolation: Exploring the Impact of Passthrough in Shared Spaces on Player Performance and Experience in VR Exergames" IEEE VR (A*-ranked conference) 2024
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Yinshu Zhao (my PhD student) won an Honorable Mention for best DC presentation at IEEE ISMAR 2023 (A*-ranked conference) for her project on "Impact of Avatars on Shoppers’ Perception and Behaviour in Immersive Virtual Stores".
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Suki Zhang (my thesis student) won the Most Innovative Use of XR award at 2023 Innovation Showcase for her thesis project on Juiciness in VR Exergames.
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Nominated for Best Paper award "Augmented Reality Applications in the Classroom: Teachers’ Experience", Al Omair, H., Mendoza, A., Boden, M., Baghaei, N., International Conference on Computers in Education (2022)
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Featured in Psychology today for VR and Mental Health project (published in JMIR 2021): New Research Finds Virtual Reality Can Help Treat Anxiety: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/202109/new-research-finds-virtual-reality-can-help-treat-anxiety https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/new-research-finds-virtual-reality-could-help-treat-anxiety/
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Nominated for Best Paper award "Persuasive Virtual Reality: Promoting Earth Buildings in New Zealand", Don Samarasinghe, Nilufar Baghaei and Lehan Stemmet, International Conference on Persuasive Technology (2020)
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Edu-games guru, Dr Baghaei talks to Careers with STEM about some of her research projects, challenges faced along the way and gives some advice to young women who want to learn about and pursue a career in ST (2018)
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Runner-up Award for leading a research project entitled “Feasibility of Diabetic Mario Mobile Game to Improve Diabetes Self-management”, funded by Health Research Council, in collaboration with the University of Auckland - Unitec (2017)
Works
Search Professor Nell Baghaei’s works on UQ eSpace
2022
Journal Article
Acceptance of virtual reality exergames among Chinese older adults
Xu, Wenge, Liang, Hai-Ning, Yu, Kangyou, Wen, Shaoyue, Baghaei, Nilufar and Tu, Huawei (2022). Acceptance of virtual reality exergames among Chinese older adults. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 39 (5), 1134-1148. doi: 10.1080/10447318.2022.2098559
2022
Journal Article
The use of videogames and virtual reality for the assessment of anxiety and depression: a scoping review
Chitale, Vibhav, Baghaei, Nilufar, Playne, Daniel, Liang, Hai-Ning, Zhao, Yinshu, Erensoy, Aysu and Ahmad, Yvette (2022). The use of videogames and virtual reality for the assessment of anxiety and depression: a scoping review. Games for Health Journal, 11 (6), 341-354. doi: 10.1089/g4h.2021.0227
2022
Journal Article
Extended reality for mental health evaluation —a scoping review
Omisore, Olatunji, Odenigbo, Ifeanyi, Orji, Joseph, Beltran, Amelia, Orji, Rita, Baghaei, Nilufar and Sandra, Meier (2022). Extended reality for mental health evaluation —a scoping review. JMIR Serious Games, 6 e38413, 1-21. doi: 10.2196/38413
2022
Journal Article
Ready Player Two: A randomized controlled pilot trial investigating the feasibility of using games to improve healthy lifestyle knowledge in youth (9-16 years) at risk for type two diabetes
Maddison, Ralph, Baghaei, Nilufar, Calder, Amanda Jane, Murphy, Rinki, Parag, Varsha, Heke, Ihirangi, Dobson, Rosie and Marsh, Samantha (2022). Ready Player Two: A randomized controlled pilot trial investigating the feasibility of using games to improve healthy lifestyle knowledge in youth (9-16 years) at risk for type two diabetes. JMIR Formative Research, 6 (6) e33089, e33089. doi: 10.2196/33089
2022
Conference Publication
PassImg: a secure password generation and management scheme without storing
Yin, Yuhua, Jang-Jaccard, Julian and Baghaei, Nilufar (2022). PassImg: a secure password generation and management scheme without storing. 2022 IEEE 25th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD), Hangzhou, China, 4-6 May 2022. Piscataway, NJ USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/CSCWD54268.2022.9776045
2022
Journal Article
A systematic and comparative review of behavior change strategies in stress management apps: opportunities for improvement
Alhasani, Mona, Mulchandani, Dinesh, Oyebode, Oladapo, Baghaei, Nilufar and Orji, Rita (2022). A systematic and comparative review of behavior change strategies in stress management apps: opportunities for improvement. Frontiers in Public Health, 10 777567, 1-19. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.777567
2022
Journal Article
Editorial: virtual reality and mental health: opportunities to advance research and practice
Baghaei, Nilufar, Liang, Hai-Ning, Billinghurst, Mark, Naslund, John and Oyekoya, Oyewole (2022). Editorial: virtual reality and mental health: opportunities to advance research and practice. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 3 838036, 1-3. doi: 10.3389/frvir.2022.838036
2022
Conference Publication
Designing and implementing individualized VR for supporting depression
Halim, Ilona, Baghaei, Nilufar, Stemmet, Lehan, Billinghurst, Mark and Porter, Richard (2022). Designing and implementing individualized VR for supporting depression. IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR), Onnline, 12-16 March 2022. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/VRW55335.2022.00052
2022
Edited Outputs
Persuasive Technology : 17th International Conference, PERSUASIVE 2022, Proceedings
Baghaei, Nilufar, Vassileva, Julita, Ali, Raian and Oyibo, Kiemute eds. (2022). Persuasive Technology : 17th International Conference, PERSUASIVE 2022, Proceedings. 17th International Conference, PERSUASIVE 2022, Online, 29–31 March 2022. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
2022
Journal Article
Preface
Baghaei, Nilufar, Vassileva, Julita, Ali, Raian and Oyibo, Kiemute (2022). Preface. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 13213 LNCS, v-vi.
2022
Book
Persuasive Technology: 17th International Conference, PERSUASIVE 2022, Virtual Event, March 29–31, 2022, Proceedings
Nilufar Baghaei, Julita Vassileva, Raian Ali and Kiemute Oyibo eds. (2022). Persuasive Technology: 17th International Conference, PERSUASIVE 2022, Virtual Event, March 29–31, 2022, Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-98438-0
2021
Journal Article
Persuasion via gamification: Supporting positive behaviour for learning (PB4L) school-wide pedagogy
Reddy, Lou, Baghaei, Nilufar, Reinders, Hayo, Ahmed, Ali and Sardareh, Sedigheh Abbasnasab (2021). Persuasion via gamification: Supporting positive behaviour for learning (PB4L) school-wide pedagogy. Set: Research Information for Teachers (2), 20-25. doi: 10.18296/set.0200
2021
Conference Publication
Designing games for stealth health and healthy lifestyle education
Baghaei, Nilufar, Halim, Ilona, Casey, John, Marsh, Samantha and Maddison, Ralph (2021). Designing games for stealth health and healthy lifestyle education. 29th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE), Online, 22-26 November 2021. Taoyuan City, Taiwan: Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
2021
Journal Article
Contact tracing: ensuring privacy and security
Leeuwen, Daan Storm van, Ahmed, Ali, Watterson, Craig and Baghaei, Nilufar (2021). Contact tracing: ensuring privacy and security. Applied Sciences, 11 (21) 9977, 1-17. doi: 10.3390/app11219977
2021
Journal Article
Effects of an immersive virtual reality exergame on university students’ anxiety, depression, and perceived stress: pilot feasibility and usability study
Xu, Wenge, Liang, Hai-Ning, Baghaei, Nilufar, Ma, Xiaoyue, Yu, Kangyou, Meng, Xuanru and Wen, Shaoyue (2021). Effects of an immersive virtual reality exergame on university students’ anxiety, depression, and perceived stress: pilot feasibility and usability study. JMIR Serious Games, 9 (4) e29330, 1-9. doi: 10.2196/29330
2021
Journal Article
Virtual reality for supporting the treatment of depression and anxiety: scoping review
Baghaei, Nilufar, Chitale, Vibhav, Hlasnik, Andrej, Stemmet, Lehan, Liang, Hai-Ning and Porter, Richard (2021). Virtual reality for supporting the treatment of depression and anxiety: scoping review. JMIR Mental Health, 8 (9) e29681, 1-14. doi: 10.2196/29681
2021
Journal Article
Games for Mental Health (Special Issue)
Baghaei, Nilufar, Liang, Hai-Ning, Naslund, John and Porter, Richard (2021). Games for Mental Health (Special Issue). Games for Health Journal, 10 (4), 205-206. doi: 10.1089/g4h.2021.7021.cfp
2021
Conference Publication
Playbook: an animation-based game for improving children's creativity and problem solving skills
Farzinnejad, Forouzan, Habibi, Jafar and Baghaei, Nilufar (2021). Playbook: an animation-based game for improving children's creativity and problem solving skills. EICS '21: ACM SIGCHI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems, Virtual, 8-11 June 2021. New York, NY USA: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/3459926.3464748
2021
Conference Publication
Designing individualised virtual reality applications for supporting depression: a feasibility study
Baghaei, Nilufar, Stemmet, Lehan, Khaliq, Imran, Ahmadi, Atefeh, Halim, Ilona, Liang, Hai-Ning, Xu, Wenge, Billinghurst, Mark and Porter, Richard (2021). Designing individualised virtual reality applications for supporting depression: a feasibility study. ACM SIGCHI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems, Virtual (Netherlands), 8-11 June 2021. New York, NY, United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/3459926.3464761
2021
Conference Publication
Effect of gameplay uncertainty, display type, and age on virtual reality exergames
Xu, Wenge, Liang, Hai-Ning, Yu, Kangyou and Baghaei, Nilufar (2021). Effect of gameplay uncertainty, display type, and age on virtual reality exergames. CHI '21: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Yokohama, Japan, 8-13 May 2021. New York, NY USA: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/3411764.3445801
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Nell Baghaei is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Engaging Senior Citizens with Cyber Safety through Educational Games
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Marie Boden, Dr Hassan Khosravi, Professor Jason Lodge
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Doctor Philosophy
Effects of Virtual Perturbations and Visual Illusions on Gait and Balance
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Taylor Dick, Dr Antonio Padilha Lanari Bo
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Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing Auditory Immersion in Interactive Virtual Reality Environments
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Eve Klein
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Doctor Philosophy
The Impact of AI-enabled Avatars on Body Ownership within Individualised Virtual Reality for Mental Health
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Julie Henry, Dr Jarrod Knibbe
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring Mobile Games as Tools for Screening Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: A Game Analytics Approach
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Ben Matthews, Professor Julie Henry
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Master Philosophy
Experience Saturation: Quantifying Demotivation and Disengagement
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Julie Henry, Dr Alina Bialkowski
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Doctor Philosophy
The Impact of Avatar Design on User Experience and Shopping Behaviour in Immersive Virtual Stores
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Marie Boden
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Doctor Philosophy
NAVIGATEVR. Understanding age-related differences in hazard perception by leveraging insights from the virtual world.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor James Kirby, Dr Sarah Coundouris, Professor Julie Henry
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Doctor Philosophy
The Use of Ethnochemistry Based Augmented Reality to Integrate Multiple Representations in Chemistry Classes and Its Influence on Indonesian Students' Mental Models
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jack Wang, Professor Gwendolyn Lawrie
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Doctor Philosophy
Augmented Reality applications in the classroom
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Marie Boden
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Doctor Philosophy
Assessing prospective memory function in the actual and virtual world.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lena Oestreich, Dr Sarah Coundouris, Professor Julie Henry
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Doctor Philosophy
Capturing digital biomarkers of mental health in the virtual world.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sarah Grainger, Dr Sarah Coundouris, Professor Julie Henry
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Nell Baghaei directly for media enquiries about:
- Games for Health
- Immersive Technologies for Education
- Immersive Technologies for Health
- Persuasive Technology
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