Johanna Pirker

Johanna Pirker
Born
Graz, Austria
NationalityAustrian
Alma materGraz University of Technology
Known forVirtual Reality, Games Research
AwardsForbes 30 Under 30,[1] Hedy Lamarr Award 2021
Scientific career
FieldsVirtual reality|Human-Computer Interaction
InstitutionsGraz University of Technology|University of Munich|Massachusetts Institute of Technology|ETH Zurich
WebsiteJohanna Pirker

Johanna Pirker (born June 26, 1988) is an Austrian computer scientist, educator, and game designer at Graz University of Technology and professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich with a focus on games research, virtual reality and data science. Pirker was listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list in the category Science & Healthcare (2018) for her efforts in improving digital education with virtual reality environments and games.[2] She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science.[3] Her dissertation was supervised by the Austrian e-learning expert Christian Gütl and MIT professor of physics John Winston Belcher. She is involved in various efforts to educate about the potential of video games.[4] This also includes efforts to advocate the background and cultural aspect of video games.[5] In 2020 she received the Käthe-Leichter Prize for her efforts for her initiatives in the field of diversity in engineering and in the games industry.[6][7] In 2021 she received the Hedy Lamarr Prize.[8]

In 2022, she was nominated as a member of the founding convention of the Institute of Digital Sciences Austria (IDSA), which is involved in the establishment of the new Technical University in Linz.[9]

Since 2024, she has been a member of the Austrian Council for Research, Science, Innovation, and Technology Development (FORWIT).[10]

  1. ^ "Lernen mit Virtual Reality – Forbes" (in German). Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  2. ^ "Johanna Pirker". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  3. ^ "Stadt der Spiele". 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  4. ^ "Cómo usamos el gaming para entender el mundo". Red Bull (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  5. ^ Brinks, Melissa. "'A Year Of Playing The World' Showcases Game Development's Diversity And Culture". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  6. ^ "Sexismus in der Gaming-Szene: Ich will doch nur spielen!". Wienerin (in German). 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  7. ^ "Sara Lisa Vogl: Sexismus, Rassismus, Diskriminierung: Das Metaversum hat ganz reale Probleme". www.handelsblatt.com (in German). Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference LamarrPreis:2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "IT:U Founding Convent". FOUNDING LAB. 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  10. ^ "Ratsversammlung". FORWIT (in German). 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2024-05-06.