Professor Jonathan Hook
Professor in Interactive Media

I am a Professor in Interactive Media in the School of Arts and Creative Technologies at the University of York. I joined York in 2014 and in the subsequent years have contributed to establishing our Interactive Media BSc, which I led from 2019-2023. I am also an active researcher - with current and past projects funded by the EPSRC, AHRC, InnovateUK and EC - and one of the founders of York's interdisciplinary Digital Creativity Labs.

My background is in the fields of Computing Science (BSc Newcastle University) and Human-Computer Interaction (PhD Newcastle University). After my PhD, I spent two years working as a postdoctoral researcher on the RCUK Digital Economy Funded Social Inclusion through the Digital Economy Project at Newcastle University. I have also spent time at the Media Interaction group at Philips Research in Eindhoven and the Socio-Digital Systems group at Microsoft Research in Cambridge.

I am a researcher in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). My work explores the design and development of new interactive media content forms and tools to support their creation. This research combines my deep interest in new forms of interactive technology and media with empirical, theoretical and methodological perspectives, in the human-centred design of novel interfaces and interaction techniques for a broad range of artistic and everyday creative practices.

My current research is focused on the design and development of new forms of responsive and immersive media content, with a particular interest in how these can be applied to address societal challenges (including environmental sustainability, mental and physical health, public engagement with data).

Recent projects I'm involved in include: EPSRC "Perspective Media: Personalised Video Storytelling for Data Engagement"; InnovateUK "WEAVR: Pioneering Fully Integrated Cross-Reality Spectator Experiences in Esports and Beyond" immersive experiences; EC "PlayOn! New Storytelling with Immersive Technologies"; and AHRC "Within the walls of York Gaol: Memory, Place and the Immersive Museum" and "Digital Creativity for Regional Museums: Immersive Experiences Smart Commissioning Toolkit". I was also a founder and Co-I of York’s the Digital Creativity Labs - a £4m EPSRC, AHRC and InnovateUK funded research centre exploring impact-driven research in the creative industries. 

Looking forward, I am a Co-I of York's £4.5m AHRC "YORK-XPLOR CoSTAR Network Research and Development Laboratory", in which I will lead the research on Audience, HCI and UX and the project's Access Programme.