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Professor James Bennett is Director of CoSTAR National R&D Lab for Creative Technologies and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor (Creative Industries) at Royal Holloway, University of London where he is the Director of StoryFutures. His research work spans creative, social and technical aspects of innovation technologies and cultures. He is a strategic leader of large teams and projects. He believes in building inclusive and collaborative work cultures and partnerships. He loves swimming, running and vegemite.

Adrian is an established senior technology leader in Creative Industries R&D working across engineering, content, design & policy. Prior to joining CoSTAR, he worked in various leadership roles at BBC Research & Development including the Head of Applied Research at MediaCityUK. Adrian has overseen numerous research and innovation programmes related to BBC Online, Responsible Innovation (personal data & ethics, human values) and Creative Technologies (xR/VR/AR, Flexible media & compute, participatory media, real-time performance capture).

Sarah Smyth is Director of Operations for StoryFutures and CoSTAR – National Lab. She was Head of Delivery for ‘StoryFutures Academy - The National Centre for Immersive Storytelling’ and Head of Operations for the UNBOXED 2022 programme ‘StoryTrails’. Previously Sarah was a freelance television Production Manager. She enjoys travelling now that her twins are more independent.

Nuno is a software developer with more than 30 years of experience. Early Linux adopter, he advocates digital rights since 1998 and has enabled several successful businesses developed around open-source software and hardware. He has published more than 100 audio works. He is the Vice Dean for Education & Student Experience in the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematical Sciences. He is Fellow of the BCS, Senior Member of IEEE, and a certified Agile practitioner.

Miles has a strong track record of digital strategy and setting up and leading innovation and delivery teams. Before joining CoSTAR Miles worked at the BBC for 13 years where he established and led BBC News Labs - a successful media innovation hub - focused on applied research at the intersection of journalism, data and digital. Prior to that Miles worked in software consultancy and engineering. Miles enjoys optimising solutions for real world challenges and opportunities. As Head of Innovation Miles is looking forward to connecting world class CoSTAR research with practical opportunities in the creative sector.

Muskaan is a foreign qualified lawyer who specialised in Intellectual Property and Contracts law. Muskaan assists with drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of StoryFutures-related agreements and provides guidance on intellectual property related matters.

Sarah has worked in a variety of marketing, comms & events roles within the Film & Television industry and Education sector over the past 20 years. She has a broad range of marketing & comms experience ranging from consumer advertising, B2B marketing & digital media to content production, social media marketing & event management.

Kylie brings a diverse background in international business, trade, and the creative arts, with extensive experience in cross-cultural projects. She began her career as a Trade Commissioner in South Korea before transitioning to the Film & TV industry. In StoryFutures Kylie managed large stakeholder projects including StoryLab and StoryFutures China, and oversaw production of over 20 VR experiences. As part of CoSTAR she'll support R&D innovation by integrating cutting-edge academic research with her passion for creative production.

Cristen started out in entertainment TV, producing, writing and directing for Channel 4's T4, before gaining an MA in Screenwriting, and moving into TV drama, covering titles including Broadchurch, Utopia, and Humans (for which his team won a BAFTA for Digital Creativity), and Executive Producing Sky's first VR drama short film, Join The Race. More recently he has produced formats for the BBC's world-renowned Natural History Unit, and currently develops Innovation strategy at the NFTS.

As Head of Inclusive Futures Angela leads research on inclusive innovation, democratisation and standards. She also oversees EDI and sustainability for the National Lab. Prior to joining CoSTAR she was Head of Creative Diversity for C4 and Independents & Diversity Executive for the BBC where her specialism was unlocking the potential of under-represented creatives and businesses. Her background is as an Executive Producer and Commissioning Editor in television.

After graduating with a BA in Geography in the late 90's, Matt joined the Countryside Agency, providing financial support across a range of grant programmes. After working at a further two independent government organisations, Matt commenced his 16-year local government career before joining Royal Holloway in 2022. He has worked in both financial and management accounting roles and is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance.

Anna has worked in higher education for the past 6 years, directly supporting students throughout their educational journey. She is deeply commited to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, supported and heard. Anna enjoys dancing, music events and running.

Polly is a Professor of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she is also Director of the Attention Lab and Head of Audience Futures for the CoSTAR National Lab. Her research investigates human attention, awareness and experience in multisensory contexts. She studies these topics both from a theoretical perspective and also in more applied contexts, such as piloting aircraft, operating vehicles remotely and interacting with immersive technologies.

In 2024, Fernanda completed her BA in Digital Media Culture and Technology at Royal Holloway, University of London. Currently, she is working as a Marketing and Communications Coordinator, having started her journey with StoryFutures as a Student Ambassador during her final year of studies.

Chris has worked in Project Management and Operations across TV, Post Production, Software, Advertising and eLearning. His passion for enabling the most talented of people to do their best work, whilst working at the intersection of creativity and technology brought him to StoryFutures as the CoSTAR National Lab Head of Programme Delivery.

Adam Is Professor of Screenwriting at Royal Holloway and was Head of Writers Room at StoryFutures Academy. He has written for Radio, Film, TV, and Theatre. Felix's Room the story of the room his great grandfather lived in Mainz before his deportation (which he wrote and co-directed with ScanLAB Projects) premiered at the Berliner Ensemble in 2023 in collaboration with the Komische Oper Berlin. His feature film This Blessed Plot Director Marc Isaacs, is currently on Apple TV and BFI player amongst other places. In 2020 he co-wrote with Steven Price Robert De Niro at Work, From Screenplay to Screen Performance - a study of how the actor creates his performance based on research at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas.

Rebecca is Head of Innovation for CoSTAR National Lab based at National Film and Television School. Rebecca was formerly Head of Technology - Immersive at Digital Catapult, and a Development Producer and Research Technologist at BBC R&D.

Claude’s research includes the StoryFutures Virtual Production (VP) Skills Reports, the future of VP with Punchdrunk Enrichment, and postproduction ethnography. He was Discribe DSbD 2023 Challenge Fellow in worldbuilding, and with RHUL’s Information Security Group has consulted for The Lego Group, DCMS and elsewhere. He has a background as a visual artist with an international track record, and for his thesis in Cognitive Science, Queen Mary, used drawing to analyse shared space in human interaction.

Christopher Hogg pioneers work at the intersection of new writing and emerging technologies, using drama podcasts to reach hard-to-reach audiences. His acclaimed BBC docudrama "Rathband" explored 'Ego-Media' and its societal impact, while his research delves into trauma, disability, and masculinity. His podcast "Cassie & Corey," a musical about eating disorders, engages young audiences. His latest book, "9 Holidays," integrates AI with literature, aiming to revolutionise reader engagement by creating an interactive talking book.

Johnny Johnson is a creative technologist with over two decades of filmmaking and interactive application development experience. Early forays in the camera department on feature films and TV dramas were followed by start-up businesses in camera facilities and virtual reality production. He has provided specialist technical consultancy for global sporting events, produced over ninety VR applications, directed a variety of filmed content and worked as a virtual production supervisor on a range of LED and animated VP content.

Fiona Kilkelly is Head of Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation at CoSTAR National R&D Lab for Creative Technologies and Professor of Creative Industries at Royal Holloway University of London. Fiona has worked at the nexus of innovation, technology and creative industries in the UK and Ireland, primarily leading large scale government supported innovation and R&D programmes for the UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network, Innovate UK, Regional Creative Industry Clusters, Audience of the Future Challenge and at StoryFutures Academy with NFTS. In 2016, Fiona founded Immerse UK, the UK's immersive technology network. Through this she has spearheaded the UK’s rapid acceleration into the immersive sector and triggered significant new public R&D funding into this space. In 2020, Fiona founded the XR Health Alliance, a cross industry organisation created to support and pioneer the power of XR in the health and creative sectors and has been Chair of Eirmersive, the Irish Immersive Tech Network until 2023. She has written multiple led industry ecosystem reports outlining the UK's capacity barriers and opportunities in immersive, digital and creative sectors, such as the first ever UK Immersive Economy Report in 2018 and 2019, the XR in Health in the UK report 2021, the StoryFutures Academy Virtual Production Skills report in 2021 and 2022, the Irish Immersive Economy Report 2022, the Irish Immersive Roadmap for Growth 2024 and Connect XR Audience Insight and Toolkit Report 2024.

Destiny completed her BA in Digital Media Culture and Technology at Royal Holloway University in 2022. During her third year, she was a Student Ambassador at StoryFutures. She is currently working as a Junior Technician and showcasing Co-ord and is part of the prototyping team.

Maruša brings together trans-disciplinary background in psychology, social sciences, and data science as a Research Fellow in Technology and Culture, specialising in audiences and users. With specific interest in social impact of storytelling and tech, Maruša has worked on a range of immersive projects, notably the BBC-Factory42 Green Planet AR Experience, The National Gallery’s The Keeper of Paintings app, and the StoryTrails project with the BFI, Niantic, and the BBC.

Mark is a Professor of Digital Innovation at Royal Holloway, and Head of Business Futures for the CoSTAR National Lab. His research explores the value that emerging technologies offer and how they (in combination) can best be harnessed to improve the ways in which we live, play and work together. He has published his work in several leading journals and conferences and, prior to returning to education, worked in industry in project management and consulting.

Kirsten has worked in a variety of communication roles in the Charity and Education sectors over the past five years, with a focus on storytelling and creating written and audio-visual content for internal and external channels. As a generalist she will be using her skills to document, promote and engage wider audiences as CoSTAR National Lab establishes itself as a world-leading centre of excellence.

Anne has a background in education including primary school teaching and educational research before joining the university world. She joined StoryFutures in 2021 and is constantly amazed by the work produced. She enjoys swimming and completing the Diabetes UK Swim 22 challenge each year.

Krisanee is a Research Fellow in Digital Innovation. With a background in architecture, she brings extensive experience across various design disciplines, adeptly integrating digital skills in 2D and 3D computer-aided design for both practice and research. Krisanee is passionate about speculative design, storytelling and cutting-edge technology, constantly exploring their potential and impact.

Professor Amanda Murphy is a multi-award-winning Producer, recognised for her pioneering work fostering innovation in the UK's creative sector and founder of Supernanny and UK’s Big Brother. She was Executive Producer of UK largest immersive storytelling project, StoryTrails, reimagining history in bringing stories to life using augmented reality.

Her current research includes developing new interactive storytelling forms, driving a more democratic and inclusive approach to digital media, and establishing a skills framework for the adoption of new technologies.

Helen Scarlett O'Neill is a site-responsive and participatory arts specialist utilising game theory and spatial storytelling to create immersive experiences. Helen was Senior Immersive Mobile Augmented Reality Producer on StoryFutures’ 2022 StoryTrails project, binging history to life in public spaces across 15 UK cities. Helen has a track record of pioneering interdisciplinary immersive formats, including notable works for Secret Cinema, London Contemporary Orchestra and the National Trust.

Professor Jen Parker-Starbuck is the Head of Drama in the School of Performing and Digital Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research focuses on media and performance and the nonhuman in performance. She is the author of Cyborg Theatre (2011), co-author of Performance and Media: Taxonomies for a Changing Field (2015), co-editor of Performing Animality: Animals in Performance Practices, (2015), and other book chapters/essays. She was the Editor of Theatre Journal from 2015-19.

Highly experienced within film and TV (plus a few years in radio), Lisa has a proven track record in managing and coordinating a diverse range of productions and events across multiple teams, from development stage through to final delivery and wrap. She has previously worked for a variety of companies within development, production, post-production and distribution, and is part of the NFTS Innovation Team and CoSTAR National LAB (Pilots and Prototyping, and Worldbuilding).

Alex is a Reader in Digital Innovation at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research examines data privacy, self-sovereign identity, and human representation in immersive environments.

Will Saunders has over 30 years experience working across the UK’s Screen and Performance Sector. As a programme maker he has won awards working with; Graham Norton, Flight of The Conchords, Lee Mack, Tim Minchin, and Mel & Sue. As Creative Director, Digital, BBC Studios he ran Digital Development and Production for the UK’s leading media company. As an independent consultant in he co-authored the DCMS “Culture Is Digital” report. In 2024 he was awarded an MBE for services to the Creative Industries.

Neil is a Senior Technician at StoryFutures. His previous roles were in video production, post-production, graphics and interactivity and his MA is in screenwriting. He has worked in the field of XR and game design, using Unreal Engine, and is now part of the CoSTAR prototyping team with interests in 3D capture and manipulation and Artificial Intelligence.

Sarah-Jane (known as S-J) has worked in higher education, management consultancy, and publishing. She has a breadth of experience across a number of areas including finance, contract negotiation, site management, event organisation, and copy editing. Currently, she works with finance in both the private and the public sector.

Niki's long worked at the intersection of creative industries and academia. Starting in TV, she moved into digital as Project Manager for Wired Sussex in 2001. She completed her DPhil in 2008 while also leading bizdev for Cogapp, responsible for clients like London2012 and MoMA. She's widely published on TV as digital media. A highly experienced producer and innovation consultant, she's led events for C4, Macmillan and Visa among others and assesses for Innovate UK.

Laryssa is an anthropologist whose work focuses on patterns of audience engagement with immersive technologies and new forms of entertainment and culture. She has led research on VR exhibition in home, library, and cinema contexts, including a longitudinal youth audience study on the use of VR in the home. With a background in ethnomusicology, she also has an interest in participatory engagement in arts and culture, and has also conducted research on live virtual and hybrid music performances in gaming platforms and metaverse spaces.

Andy has a background in academia, industry and the start-up world. His focus is on the interplay between audience insight, software development, and new immersive measurement technologies. Andy can help deliver new solutions to audience insight, based on a mashup of cutting-edge technologies and developing new innovative psychological audience insight techniques.