About BhamXR

The University of Birmingham has long been a centre of creative and technical innovation and it has a longstanding history of innovation in immersive technologies. The University has numerous labs that perform research in VR or that employ VR technology in their research. More than 100 researchers from the University of Birmingham have published over 5000 studies on virtual reality. Today, with XR and virtual worlds becoming foundational to digital transformation across society, we look both at the opportunity and responsibility to shape this future thoughtfully and inclusively.

Our vision

Immersive technologies have the potential to empower individuals, enrich collective experiences, enhance accessibility, and operate within sustainable, ethical frameworks. They would be designed with inclusivity in mind, support lifelong learning and mental well-being, and foster democratic, creative virtual environments governed by transparent policies.

BhamXR aims to help realise this vision by enabling the University of Birmingham to lead in designing responsible, human-centred XR and virtual worlds that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and anticipate the needs of hybrid digital societies.

BhamXR brings together researchers from across the University—spanning computer science, engineering, psychology, the arts, law, education, business, health sciences, policy, and more—to study immersive technologies in their full complexity. Together, we explore questions of identity and embodiment, presence and perception, regulation and rights, access and equity, creativity and cognition.

Through interdisciplinary collaboration, BhamXR fosters new knowledge, builds partnerships with industry and civic institutions, and co-creates innovative, ethical pathways for immersive technologies that serve the public good. Our aim is to ensure that XR and virtual worlds enhance lives and communities, while also addressing the systemic challenges they may introduce.