Hi!  This is the website used to share the research and design work of Tim Merritt. I’m dedicated to the design and research of technology that helps people to do more whether the context is a corporate workplace or physical interactions in spaces of play and creative design work. I am an associate professor of computer science in Human-Centered Computing and the Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning research groups in the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University, Denmark.

My research focuses on supporting people in complex situations with computing and hardware technologies. Human-centered AI has become an important focus for the field of research because we want to develop rewarding experiences and solutions but we must keep the human at the core of development. When designed well, AI can support people when they are consumed in a critical or creative activity, help them to make informed decisions, and increase situational awareness.

Collaboration with Roel Vertegaal and the Human Media Lab has led to research and public demonstrations of programmable matter, which are flying shapes made up of swarms of drones that can be commanded to move and form ensembles of any configuration. This is a new form of a computer display that can render objects and explore complex dynamic models such as the solar system and the movement of planets.

My Ph.D. work focused on understanding the differences in response to human and computer team-mates. This was conducted under the supervision of Kevin McGee at the National University of Singapore in collaboration with the other Partner Technologies Research Group students and staff researchers. The research involved the development of computational partners and team-mates for games. We studied human reactions and behaviors when engaged in real-time interactions such as games or urgent tasks of movement and decision-making. Kevin made me appreciate constructivist perspectives of learning and cognition, which were pioneered by his Ph.D. supervisors Seymour Papert and Marvin Minsky. It is also through Kevin’s influence that I gained a passion for tools that support creativity and expression.

My professional profile can be reviewed here: dk.linkedin.com/in/trmerritt

Research profile at Aalborg University: https://vbn.aau.dk/en/persons/139864

Or call me within Denmark at +45 4244 2899

email: tim@ixd.net or merritt@cs.aau.dk

Aside from research on the design of technology, my experiences and interests include product design, project management, and business consulting.

Certified project management (PMP) and information security (CISSP & ITIL).

Current Affiliations:

Aalborg University – Dept. of Computer Science, Human-Centered Computing Research Group

Previous Affiliations:

Aarhus University Design Research – Department of Engineering

Aarhus University – World renowned university in Aarhus.

IT Product Development – MSc program at Aarhus University

REform – Research and Teaching Platform at the Aarhus School of Architecture.

Aarhus School of Architecture – grants degrees from Bachelor to PhD in Architecture, Design, and related disciplines