Wendy Powell

Linocut portrait by Ivo van Leeuwen

Part of the portrait series Women in Academia

Academic Portrait

“My research, and my passion, is about how we can help improve well-being and achievement using emerging technologies like Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, together known as XR. My work focuses on areas such as the use of XR for rehabilitation and pain management, XR and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support doctors, and XR to improve training in critical areas like safety and teamwork. 

Contrary to what many people believe, you don’t necessarily need to start very young to succeed in academia. I was the first in my family to go to university, and I didn’t begin my university education until I was nearly 40 years old, when I took a Bachelor’s program in Computer Science. I then fell in love with research and completed a PhD in Virtual Reality. I have worked in academia ever since.

To succeed as a researcher, you need to be curious and persistent, and pay attention to detail. Be open to research results that surprise you, answers that you are not expecting, and directions that you hadn’t previously imagined. And finally, focus not so much on your boundaries or your background, but foremost on your skills and your passion.”