STAFF PROFILE
Associate Professor Jonathan Duckworth
Dr Jonathan Duckworth is a Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University (2012-2015).
Dr Duckworth is a digital media artist and designer with a background in architecture. He brings to RMIT a broad range of industry and research experience in digital media design from his practice called ZedBuffer. His practice specialises in research, development and production of novel interactive installations for government clients, museums, galleries and public venues using computer game technology. This focus has resulted in the design and build of several large scale multi-user interactive installations commissioned by government and commercial clients including: State Library of Queensland (2012), Drops of Wisdom, Sydney Catchment Authority (2010), Serendipity, Eureka SkyDeck, (2007).
The practice also serves as a repository for his funded research activities, speculative designs and experimental interactive media art works. The design opportunities from ZedBuffer have contributed to his research at RMIT University, and more broadly in developing intellectual currency and expertise in new media production, interaction design and associated technology.
Research
Dr Jonathan Duckworth has been involved in the research and development of interactive media applications through RMIT’s Virtual Reality Centre since 1999. His current research relates to the design and evaluation of systems for movement rehabilitation in patients who have sustained traumatic brain injury. In collaboration with scientists and clinicians, Dr Duckworth has developed an approach to rehabilitation which integrates computer games technology, tangible user interfaces, augmented feedback, and artistic expression to enhance patients’ motor and cognitive skills. His research demonstrates how rehabilitative applications may benefit significantly from theories of embodied interaction design and digital media art.
Video – ELEMENTS: a new media art work for movement rehabilitation
Dr Duckworth is a recipient of an Australia Council for the Arts Synapse grant as part of an ARC Linkage grant (LP110200802) in collaboration with Australian Catholic University, Griffith University and Epworth Hospital. The project called Resonance encompasses the design and development of an interactive multimedia artwork for rehabilitation of acquired brain injury (ABI). The Resonance interactive system aims to promote cooperative group interaction between ABI patients as a means to enhance their motor and cognitive recovery.
Other current research interests include:
- Digital Media Art
- Interaction Design
- Tangible Computing
- Serious Games
- Virtual Reality
- Arts and Science collaborations
- PhD (Media & Communication), RMIT University, 2010
- Master of Design (Industrial Design), RMIT University, 2002
- PgDip (Architecture) - University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, 1997
- BSc with Honours, First Class (Architecture) - University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, 1995
Dr Duckworth has exhibited digital artworks both nationally and internationally including group exhibitions at Art Taipei (2010), SuperHuman, Melbourne (2009); Thinking Through the Body, Sydney, (2009); ReSkin, Canberra (2007); White Noise, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne (2005).Unnatural Selection, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria (2004); Perceptual Difference, Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth -BEAP04, John Curtin Gallery, Perth, (2004).
Accomplishments
2011 RMIT University Research Prize
In recognition of the achievement of excellence in a higher degree research program assessed in 2010 (PhD)
2004 LAB.3000 Digital Design Biennale Award
Recognition of Achievement of Excellence in the field of Digital Design Innovation.
2003 RMIT University Research Prize
In recognition of the achievement of excellence in a higher degree research program assessed in 2002 (M.Des )
2003 ATOM Award (Australian Teachers of New Media)
Best Experimental Production, Virtual Reality arts project ‘Ecstasis’, J. Duckworth, M. Guglielmetti, L. Harvey, M. Baily. (Metraform)
2002 ATOM Award (Australian Teachers of New Media)
Commendation Award, Virtual Reality arts project ‘Symbiosis’, J. Duckworth, M. Guglielmetti, L. Harvey (Metraform)
2001 Academic Excellence Award
International Postgraduate Research Scholarship, RMIT University.
- Rogers, J.,Duckworth, J.,Middleton, S.,Steenbergen, B.,Wilson, P. (2019). Elements virtual rehabilitation improves motor, cognitive, and functional outcomes in adult stroke: Evidence from a randomized controlled pilot study In: Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 16, 1 - 13
- Muscat, A.,Duckworth, J.,Wilson, D. (2019). Methods Beyond the Screen: Conducting remote player studies for game design research In: DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix, Kyoto, Japan, 6-10 August 2019
- Muscat, A.,Duckworth, J. (2018). WORLD4: Designing Ambiguity for First-Person Exploration Games In: CHI PLAY '18 The Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction, Melbourne, Australia, 28-31 October 2018
- Walia, S.,Balendhran, S.,Ahmed, T.,Singh, M.,El-Badawi, C.,Brennan, M.,Weerathunge, P.,Karim, M.,rahman, F.,Rassell, A.,Duckworth, J.,Ramanathan, R.,Collis, G.,Lobo, C.,Toth, M.,Kotsakidis, J.,Weber, B.,Fuhrer, M.,Dominguez-Vera, J.,Spencer, M.,Aharonovich, I.,Sriram, S.,Bhaskaran, M.,Bansal, V. (2017). Ambient protection of few-layer black phosphorus via sequestration of reactive oxygen species In: Advanced Materials, 29, 1 - 8
- Duckworth, J.,Hullick, J.,Eldridge, R.,Rice, C. (2017). Disruptive Critters In: S�nar +D Barcelona, Spain
- Patibanda, S.,Mueller, F.,Leskovsek, M.,Duckworth, J. (2017). Life Tree: Understanding the Design of Breathing Exercise Games In: Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '17), Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15-18 October 2017
- Duckworth, J. (2017). Disruptive Critters: The Big Arena In: Melbourne Music Week Melbourne
- Ryan, T.,Duckworth, J. (2017). 2K-Reality: An acoustic sports entertainment augmentation for pickup basketball play spaces In: Proceedings of the 12th International Audio Mostly Conference on Augmented and Participatory Sound and Music Experiences (AM 2017), London, United Kingdom, 23-26 August 2017
- Rassell, A.,Duckworth, J. (2017). Touching with the eye: science films, embodied technology and nanoscientific data In: Proceedings of the Electronic Visualisation and the Arts Australia 2016 Conference (EVAA 2016), University of Canberra, 5-6 March 2016
- Power, J.,Duckworth, J.,Yuille, J. (2017). How does a painter's hand think about generative art practice? In: Proceedings of the Electronic Visualisation and the Arts Australia 2016 Conference (EVAA 2016), University of Canberra, 5-6 March 2016
5 PhD Completions and 1 Masters by Research Completions6 PhD Current Supervisions
- Elements: Brain Injury Rehabilitation System for Clinic and Home Use. Funded by: DIIS Accelerating Commercialisation Grant - 2018 from (2018 to 2023)
- Innovations in neurorehabilitation: CogMO VR rehabilitation for cognition and motor skill (Administered by Australian Catholic University Limited). Funded by: Australian Catholic University from (2017 to 2019)
- Disruptive Critters: developing a digitally augmented performance space by the Duckworth/Hullick Duo. Funded by: Australia Council for the Arts - Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups 2015 from (2016 to 2016)
- Disruptive Critters. Funded by: VicArts Grants 2016 Round 2 from (2016 to 2017)
- Elements: An Augmented Reality Workspace for Movement Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Patients. Funded by: Synapse Initiative Grant pre-2014 from (2005 to 2007)