Dr. Jean BOTEV

Jean Botev is a Research Scientist at the University of Luxembourg. He is a founding member and co-head of the Collaborative and Socio-Technical Systems (COaST) research group, as well as founder and director of the VR/AR Lab, an interdisciplinary research unit focused on experimental and applied work in immersive technologies.

Dr. Botev’s research explores novel mediated reality approaches, with particular emphasis on collaborative distributed virtual environments and fundamental interaction techniques. His work addresses the intersection of physical and digital realities from an interdisciplinary and human-centered perspective, advancing new possibilities in human-computer interaction and systems design. He has published over 85 peer-reviewed research articles in leading scientific journals (e.g., FGCS, CHBR, TVCG) and conferences (e.g., IEEE VR, IEEE ISMAR, ACM VRST, ACM IVA, IEEE RO-MAN, HAI, QoMEX), and is an editorial board member for Empathic Computing as well as a steering committee member of IEEE ACSOS and ACM MMVE.

He is the principal investigator (PI) in several national and international research projects with a combined budget exceeding €5.0M, including the EU-funded H2020 FET Open project ChronoPilot (Modulating Human Subjective Time Experience, Funding:  €3.0M), the FWO/FNR-cofunded project DELICIOS (Delegation of Decision-Making to Autonomous Agents in Socio-Technical Systems, Funding: €0.9M) and the FNR-funded CORE project VR BIAS (Virtual Reality Body Image Intervention and Assessment Suite, Funding: €0.6M).

Master in Computer Science (MICS)
– Virtual and Augmented Reality
Master in Digital and Public History (MADiPH)
– Immersive Media and Digital Realities
Bachelor in Applied Information Technology (BINFO/BINFO-CEP)
– Mobile Application Development
– GUI Programming
– Algorithms 2

Dr. Botev is actively involved in public engagement and discourse, educational outreach, and the dissemination of research outcomes. He regularly gives invited talks and keynotes (e.g., ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2023 Demo Scene) and organizes events, demonstrations, and activities for diverse audiences, from pupils and laypeople (e.g., Researchers’ Days, Science Festival, Scienteens Lab, YEP!-Schoulfoire) to artists and specialists, promoting ethical and human-centered design principles in immersive technologies to the broader society.

• 2024 – EuroXR: Best Demonstration Award.
• 2023 – EuroXR: Scientific Paper Honorable Mention Award.
• 2020 – GI VAR: Best Demo/Poster Award.
• 2019 – University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg: Teaching Award.
• 2018 – ICDIM: Best Paper Award.
• 2017 – Higher Education Academy Fellowship.
• 2017 – CCC: Best Paper Award.
• 2016 – EAI DLI: Best Paper Award.
• 2008 – University of Trier, Germany: Best Degree Award.

• Ph.D. Supervision Right, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, 2017.
• Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, 2011 (outstanding).
• B.Sc. & M.Sc. in Computer Science and Media Studies, University of Trier, Germany, 2007 (excellent, best degree award).
• Academic Year Abroad, City, University of London, UK, 2003.