Rate My Professor Steve Benford

Benford's research specializes in augmented and mixed reality, mobile and ubiquitous computing, tangible and material computing, with applications in culture, entertainment, art, performance, games, television, museums, and amusement parks. His methodologies encompass user experience design, human-computer interaction, and ethnography, while theoretical frameworks include trajectories, uncomfortable interactions, spectator interfaces, ambiguity, and interpretation. Key publications feature the book Performing Mixed Reality (MIT Press, 2011, with Gabriella Giannachi); 'From interaction to trajectories: designing coherent journeys through user experiences' (CHI 2009); 'Creating the spectacle: Designing interactional trajectories through spectator interfaces' (ACM TOCHI 2011); and 'Automcis: souvenir generating photoware for theme parks' (CHI 2011). With over 500 publications, an h-index of 78, more than 50 ACM CHI papers (including four Best Papers and six Honorable Mentions), and 18 in ACM TOCHI, his contributions earned election to the CHI Academy in 2012 and Associate Editor role for TOCHI. He has supervised over 50 PhDs to completion—including a BCS Distinguished Dissertation Award winner, with four now professors—and trained 150+ via Horizon CDT. His work underpins three REF case studies, fostering global tours engaging hundreds of thousands, industry partnerships, and awards like the Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica.