Dominic Kao

Dominic Kao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and serves as the director of the Virtual Futures Lab. His research interests include game research, Virtual Reality, and Human-Computer Interaction, focusing on virtual world construction and its user impact. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MS in Computer Science from Princeton University, and a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Alberta. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a game developer at Electronic Arts. Dr. Kao’s research aims to expand engagement in education and gaming through virtual identities and computational interaction methods, earning multiple NSF awards in this field.

• 2025–Present·University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign·Assistant Professor
  • Director of the Virtual Futures Lab, leading research in Virtual Reality and game studies.
• Prior | Electronic Arts | Game Developer
  • Responsible for virtual world development and game design.

• 2013–2018·Massachusetts Institute of Technology·PhD
  • Computer Science, focused on virtual identities and their impact on education and gaming.
• 2011–2013·Princeton University·Master’s
  • Computer Science.
• 2007–2011·University of Alberta·Bachelor’s
  • Computer Engineering.