APrf Andrew Cunningham
Senior Lecturer
School of Computer Science and Information Technology
College of Engineering and Information Technology
Visit my website here.
I am a Senior Lecturer in computer science and Co-Director of the Wearable Computer Lab at the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Enviroments (IVE), UniSA STEM. I am an expert in immersive technologies including Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. My research aim is to help people understand the world by revealing and communicating insights within the data all around us. Big data is pervasive and is driving decisions at an industry, policy, and societal level. I believe that Immersive Analytics—using immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to display and interact with data—and Narrative Visualisation—using visualisation to reveal the stories within data—can help humanise this decision making and empower people.
Upon completing my PhD in 2011, I worked in the mobile games industry on titles that have been downloaded over 50 million times. In 2016 I returned to UniSA and was a key researcher on the Narrative Visualisation for Law Enforcement project with the Data to Decisions Cooperative Research Centre. This project won the South Australian Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) iAward for R&D Project of the Year and a merit at the national level. The technology has since been acquired by a commercial venture to take to market.
I am a Chief Investigator on the $4M "Narrative Visualisation and Big Data to Improve High Value Manufacturing" research project with the Innovative Manufacturing CRC and BAE Systems. I am a Chief Investigator on a successful Australian Research Council Discovery Project ("Parametric VR: An Interactive Virtual Reality System for Parametric Design", AU$455,000). I won the 2021 UniSA STEM Early Career Researcher award and the 2021 IVE Recognition Award for Innovation, Value, and Enterprise.
See my Google Scholar profile here.
Current research themes:
- The application of Virtual and Augmented Reality, exploring how we visualise information in these environments to support analytical tasks and sense making.
Recent research grants (not commercial in confidence):
- ARC - Discovery Projects, "Parametric VR: An Interactive Virtual Reality System for Parametric Design", Thomas, B., Gu, N., Cunningham, A. (2022-2025): $455,000.
- MinEx CRC Opportunity Fund, "Immersive Analytics for the Geosciences", Raimondo, T., Cunningham, A. & Thomas, B. (2021-2022): $159,264.
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Award | Best Paper Honourable Mention Award ACM CHI 2025 | Association for Computing Machinery | Japan | - |
| 2024 | Recognition | MinEx CRC Technology Award | Mineral Explorations CRC | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 - 2004 | University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Information Technology (Advanced Computer Science Honours) |
| Date | Title | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Information Visualisation | University of South Australia | Australia |
| Date | Title | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) | University of South Australia | Australia |
| — | Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) | University of South Australia | Australia |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Mattila, V. V., Cunningham, A., & Sandor, C. (2010). US20110287811, Method and apparatus for an augmented reality x-ray. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Wimmer, M., Pepicelli, A., Volmer, B., ElSayed, N., Cunningham, A., Thomas, B. H., . . . Veas, E. E. (2024). Counting on AR: EEG responses to incongruent information with real-world context. DOI |
| 2019 | Batch, A., Cunningham, A., Cordeil, M., Elmqvist, N., Dwyer, T., Thomas, B. H., & Marriott, K. (2019). There Is No Spoon: Evaluating Performance, Space Use, and Presence with Expert Domain Users in Immersive Analytics. DOI |
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CSIRO NGGP - UTAS - Augmented Human Operations, CSIRO-Data61, 07/08/2024 - 30/06/2029
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Industry Funded PhD Project: Immersive narrative visualisation for understanding autonomous maritime vessels, Naval Group Pacific Pty Ltd, 06/11/2023 - 06/11/2027
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Parametric VR: An Interactive Virtual Reality System for Parametric Design, ARC - Discovery Projects, 01/11/2022 - 31/10/2026
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VineSight: Augmented Reality Field-based Diagnostics for Vineyard Disease Detection, CRC SAAFE Limited, 05/09/2025 - 05/09/2026
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Exploring satellite configurations in mixed reality, Cwth Dept of Defence, 06/11/2025 - 05/06/2026
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Australian Housing & Urban Research Institute Scholarship, Australian Housing & Urban Research Institute, 22/06/2023 - 31/05/2026
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An immersive science platform for the CLLMM Research Centre, CLLMM: Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre (Goyder Inst), 25/06/2024 - 31/01/2026
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Narrative Visualisation for Multi-Domain Agile C2, Defence Science and Technology Group, 20/12/2023 - 31/12/2025
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Reviewing CDR User Requirements, Department of the Treasury, 07/03/2025 - 30/12/2025
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Cyber Terrain Mapping and Analysis of Operational Technology Networks, Defence Science and Technology Group, 02/02/2024 - 31/01/2025
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BAE Technology Transfer - Atlas Project and LMM Investigation, ASC Shipbuilding Pty Limited, 01/07/2024 - 30/11/2024
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Forestry Saw Mill VR Training, Green Triangle Forestry Industry Hub, 09/01/2024 - 09/07/2024
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Independent Health Check (Dark Patterns), Department of the Treasury, 02/02/2024 - 30/06/2024
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BAE Technology Transfer and Automation Proof of Concept, ASC Shipbuilding Pty Limited, 01/09/2023 - 31/01/2024
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SmartSat P2-46: Indo-Pacific Connector Visualisation Task, SmartSat CRC, 26/05/2022 - 25/09/2022
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MinEx CRC OP 7 : Immersive Analytics, MinEx CRC, 01/01/2021 - 25/02/2022
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Extending the Narrative Visualisation to Child Protection, D2D CRC Limited, 20/09/2019 - 31/12/2021
Courses I teach
- COMP 3023 Design Patterns with C++ (2025)
- COMP 3025 Game Design (2025)
- COMP 5076 Problem Solving in the Digital Age (2025)
- COMP 3025 Game Design (2024)
- COMP 5076 Problem Solving in the Digital Age (2024)
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Enhancing Cultural Competency in Adolescents through Storyliving in Immersive Learning Environments | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Catherine Mary Barnes |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Immersive Narrative Visualisation for Understanding Autonomous Maritime Vessels | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Kingsley Stephens |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Tangible immersive analytics | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Lily Du |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Exploring the Potential to Create 3D Sculptural Data Visualisations Using Digital Technologies | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Agarrid Mahdi |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Design thinking in immersive environments: exploring the impacts of VR on parametric design process | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Hamidreza Sakhaei |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Immersive visualizations to improve user performance in challenging situations | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Chenkai Zhang |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Hand skill training with custom haptics, real-time visual instruction, and immersive technologies | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Juan Pieschacon Aponte |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Immersive analytics in forestry | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Spencer John O'Keeffe |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Life-size block puzzle: world-building in Spatial Augmented Reality | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Chau ha Nguyen |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Designing immersive data stories through space, locomotion, and scale | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Radhika Jain |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Designing data for immersive cultural experiences and events | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Richie Khoo |
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