Derek F. Reilly

room 437, Goldberg Computer Science Building, Dalhousie University
6050 University Ave., PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 4R2
e: reilly AT cs DOT dal DOT ca
t: 902.494.4057

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Hi! Welcome to my home on the World Wide Web... I'm an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University. Until recently I was Associate Professor at OCAD University (formerly Ontario College of Art and Design) in Toronto, where I helped to initiate and for a short time directed their graduate program in Digital Futures.

... Before OCAD I was a postdoctoral researcher in the GVU Center at Georgia Tech, where I led a research project called TwinSpace, a fusion of virtual and physical collaborative workspaces, and was a member of the Pixi Lab. I currently hold an adjunct appointment in Computer Science at the University of Toronto.

My doctoral research at Dalhousie considered pointing and mixed-media techniques for connecting spatial information resources (primarily paper maps and content on mobile devices), under the supervision of Kori Inkpen and Carolyn Watters. I also hold a degree in Education (Computing and English/Media, Queen's), and an honours degree in Computer Science (McGill).

In a previous life I worked in software R&D for a number of companies in Waterloo and Montreal, ending up at U S West's Global Village Labs, an applied research group pioneering corporate intranet applications. Following this I was partner in a startup between 1999-2001 (Locasys Software) where I built an infrastructure for a social location-based service called OpenPlaces.

Research outlook

I am broadly interested in the convergence of physical space and digital technology. A common theme in my research is the application (and adaptation) of theory from architecture, spatial cognition and environmental psychology to build understanding of pervasive interaction with digital services. I am also interested in the design of technologies to support spatial thinking in situ (when wayfinding, exploring, annotating, dispatching, etc.).

From a high level my research interests cross the fields of Ubiquitous Computing, Collaborative Technology (CSC{WLP}) and Information Visualization.

Teaching

Current and Upcoming Courses

  • Software Engineering (CSCI 3130, INFX 3630, Winter 2012)
  • Ubiquitous Computing (CSCI 5XXX, Spring 2012)

Recent Courses (Winter 2011)

  • Microsoft Research Design Expo (IAMD 5BXX, co-taught)
  • Human Factors for Designers (SOSC 3B27)
  • Introduction to Computer Science (SCTM 2B94)

News and Recent

Recent and Ongoing Projects

Tweetris (Images (c) Navaneethan Sivabalaviknarajah)

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InNEED

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