Dr. Owen Noel
Newton Fernando
- ofernando@ntu.edu.sg
- Office
- College of Computing and Data Science, Nanyang Technological University Block S3 #B1C-101, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
Dr. Fernando is a Senior Lecturer, Educator & Innovator at the College of Computing & Data Science at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests involve Learning with Artificial Intelligence, Interactive Learning Technologies, Human–Computer Interaction in Education, Human–Computer Interaction, and Multimodal Interaction Systems.
He has published his works in highly competitive journals — MIT Press’ Presence, Oxford Press’ Interacting with Computers, and IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics — and prestigious conferences including ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality, and ACM SIGGRAPH.
His research has received several international awards, including recognition from Laval Virtual and Nokia UbiMedia MindTrek. Dr. Fernando has also been the recipient of the Japanese Government (MEXT: Monbukagakusho) Scholarship.
Currently, he serves as Associate Editor for Entertainment Computing (Elsevier) and has previously served as Guest Editor of the AHCI Journal and Associate Editor for ACM Computers in Entertainment.
Research Areas & Projects
Interactive Learning Technologies
Game-based learning, AI-powered Learning Companion for academic writing, AlgoTutor visualisations, and interactive course materials for higher education.
Explore →Human-Computer Interaction in Education
Affective state detection in programming, multimodal virtual anatomy learning, and child-focused interactive systems for play and learning.
Explore →Human-Computer Interaction
Voyager, ChatAlone, MyHistory, AmbiKraf, Kawaii interactive media — novel interaction techniques across mobile, ubiquitous, and tangible computing.
Explore →Multimodal Interaction Systems
Multimodal interfaces combining audio, visual, and behavioural signals. AI sports coaching & class observation, RelPosGAR group activity recognition, spatial audio for collaborative virtual environments, and narrowcasting for multipresent avatars.
Explore →Selected Publications
V. Balakrishnan, L. K. Kway, A. H. Sandeep, E. F. J. T. Wong, C. A. Ong, O. N. N. Fernando. “Beyond the Perfect Assistant: Provoking Learning with Flawed AI Partners,” DIS Companion ’26: Companion Publication of the 2026 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, 13–17 June 2026, Singapore, pp. 1–5.
D. K. Kothari, O. N. N. Fernando. “Enhancing Human-Computer Interaction through AI: A Study on ChatGPT in Educational Environments,” IEEE Conference on Artificial Intelligence (CAI 2024), 25–27 June 2024, Singapore, pp. 500–503.
G. C. Sashank, Z. W. Tan, O. N. N. Fernando. “AlgoTutor: An Integrated Learning Platform for Data Structures and Algorithms with Real-Time Guidance and Interactive Visualizations,” HCII 2024: Proc. of the International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, June 2024, Washington DC, USA, pp. 29–38.
O. N. N. Fernando, V. T. Kannappan, X. Tan, J. Y. J. Hong, A. Chattopadhyay, H. S. Seah. “La Petite Fee Cosmo: Learning data structures through game-based learning,” Proc. of the 17th International Conference on Virtual-Reality Continuum and its Applications in Industry (VRCAI ’19), 14–16 November 2019, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, pp. 1–9.
H. Liu, O. N. N. Fernando, J. P. Rajapakshe. “Predicting Affective States of Programming Using Keyboard Data and Mouse Behaviors,” Proc. of the 15th International Conference on Control, Automation, Robotics and Vision (ICARCV), Singapore, 2018, pp. 1408–1413.
May O. Lwin, S. Vijaykumar, G. Lim, O. N. N. Fernando, V. S. Rathnayake, S. Foo. “Baseline Evaluation of a Participatory Mobile Health Intervention for Dengue Prevention in Sri Lanka,” Health Education & Behavior, 43(4), pp. 471–479. IF 4.2
K. Zhu, H. Nii, O. N. N. Fernando, J. T. K. V. Koh, K. Aue, A. D. Cheok. “Designing Interactive Paper-Craft Systems with Selective Inductive Power Transmission,” Interacting with Computers, Oxford University Press, 25(2), pp. 143–153.
R. L. Peiris, J. T. K. V. Koh, M. J. Tharakan, O. N. N. Fernando, A. D. Cheok. “AmbiKraf Byobu: Merging Technology with Traditional Craft,” Interacting with Computers, Oxford University Press, 25(2), pp. 173–182.
A. D. Cheok, O. N. N. Fernando. “Kawaii/cute interactive media,” Universal Access in the Information Society, 11(3), pp. 295–309. IF 2.9
M. Cohen, N. A. Bolhassan, O. N. N. Fernando. “A Multiuser Multiperspective Stereographic QTVR Browser Complemented by Java3D Visualizer and Emulator,” Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, MIT Press, 16(4), pp. 414–438.
O. N. N. Fernando, K. Adachi, U. Duminduwardena, M. Kawaguchi, M. Cohen. “Audio Narrowcasting and Privacy for Multipresent Avatars on Workstations and Mobile Phones,” IEICE Transactions on Information and Systems, E89-D(1), pp. 73–87.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | PhD — Computer Science and Engineering | University of Aizu, Japan |
| 2003 | MSc — Computer Science and Engineering | University of Aizu, Japan |
| 1998 | BSc — Computer Science | University of Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Period | Role | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2015 – Present | Senior Lecturer | College of Computing & Data Science, NTU Singapore |
| Apr 2012 – Dec 2014 | Senior Research Fellow | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
| Jan 2011 – Mar 2012 | Senior Research Fellow | National University of Singapore |
| Jan 2010 – Apr 2012 | Associate Faculty | SIM University, Singapore |
| Oct 2007 – May 2008 | Visiting Researcher | Kyoto University, Japan |
| Apr 2007 | Visiting Researcher | University of Electro-Communications, Japan |
| Nov 2006 – Dec 2010 | Research Fellow | National University of Singapore |
| Oct 2003 – Sep 2006 | Research Assistant | University of Aizu, Japan |
| Dec 1998 – Aug 2001 | Systems Analyst | Peoples Bank, Sri Lanka |
| Aug 1998 – Aug 2001 | Part-Time Instructor | University of Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | Programmer | SCS Lanka, Sri Lanka |
Explore the complete academic journey — qualifications, career milestones, research contributions, publications, and teaching experience — all in one document.
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