Dr Xi Guo is an Associate Professor of Computer Game Technology. She worked as Course Leader for the BSc Computer Games Technology programme from January 2023 to February 2025 and currently leads the Web Game Development and 3D Game Programming modules.
Since joining the College of Computing in 2020, Dr Guo has worked as a STEAM academic, providing consultancy and support to innovative businesses. She has played a key role in securing funding for various research and collaboration projects. Notably, she initiated and led projects such as REELConnect (honourable mention, Unity Humanity Grant 2025) and IMM (Immersive Map & More, funded by UKRI in 2021). In 2023, she was awarded the BCU STEAM Fellowship and served as Co-Investigator on projects including The Fashion Police (funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund). She also secured research funding as co-Investigator for EDULab project (a Horizon Europe collaborative project, 2025–2027).
Dr Guo has made significant contributions to teaching, learning, and innovation at Birmingham City University (BCU). Her achievements include:
- AGCAS “Technology for Employability” Nomination (2025) – The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services
Multiple awards from The Independent Game Developers’ Association (TIGA):
- Innovation in Teaching (2023)
- Excellence in Games Research (2025)
- Innovative Teaching (2025)
Faculty Awards:
- Inventor (2024)
- The Teaching Exemplar (2023)
She has delivered several invited talks, including:
- “Future Learning Spaces – Learning and Teaching Reimagined”, invited talk at the Education Strategy Forum, 26–28 February 2025
- “Immersive Tech for the Creative Industries in the UK”, invited masterclass for the British Council – Argentina, 30 August 2023
Earlier in her career at BCU, Dr Guo worked as a software engineer in the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences (HELS), where she contributed to the design and implementation of online simulation systems such as Virtual Case Creator and Virtual Moving and Handling. Since 2017, she has led a cross-faculty learning community, REAL FLC (Reality Enhanced Augmented Learning – Faculty Learning Community), comprising academics from diverse disciplines including radiography, nursing, midwifery, education, media, psychology, and computer science.
Her research leadership includes projects that apply immersive technologies to education, such as the Virtual Escape Room for Anatomy Learning and Augmented Reality learning resources for primary education, nursing, and midwifery.
Before joining BCU, Dr Guo was a Research Assistant at De Montfort University, contributing to the iCARE (Distributed Integrated Care Service and Systems) project and the development of a web-based educational game for group-based users.
She completed her PhD at Loughborough University in 2011, following a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2007, and a Bachelor’s degree in 2004.
- Computer simulation for health and education
- Immersive games and simulations for education and training
- MR (Mixed Reality)
- AR (Augmented Reality)
- VR (Virtual Reality)
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Machine Learning
PhD degree in Computer Science from Loughborough university, 2011
9th Feb. 2025, Senior HE fellow (SFHEA)
Aug. 2024, Apprenticeship of Team Leader or Supervisor Level 3, Distinction, awarded by Institute of Apprenticeships & Technical Education
Aug. 2021, SEDA (Staff and Educational Development Association) certificate on the Introduction to Learning and Teaching in HE
Jan. 2022, SEDA certification in Supporting Technology-Enhanced Learning (STEL)
May 2022, passed the APA (Academic Professional Apprenticeship) training certificate and was awarded HE fellowship(FHEA).
Feb. 2022 to Aug. 2022, Aurora training. Aurora is Advance HE's leadership development initiative for women.
Computer simulation for health and education, Immersive games and simulations for education and training, MR (Mixed Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning.
Supervision for PhD projects
- Student: Rameetha Hussain, MEDN: Multisensory exploration of dementia-friendly neighbourhoods via immersive design interventions, Second supervisor
- Student: Farzad Jahanfard, INSTORE: InSTORE: Close Encounters in Retail Space. Exploring how art and design experiment with physical computing interfaces can provoke meaningful, inclusive encounters between communities and retail space. Third Supervisor
- J. Price, X. Guo, HiveVR: Enhance Realism Interaction in Virtual Reality Using Game Physics, IEEE CTSoc Gaming, Entertainment and Media conference, 5th-7th June 2024. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10585456
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X. Guo, A. Edwards, A Case Study of Using Web 3D Game Technology for a Scalable Midwifery Training Simulation, IEEE CTSoc Gaming, Entertainment and Media conference, 5th-7th June 2024. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10585499
- X.Guo, I.Mogra, 2022, December. Using web 3D and webXR game to enhance engagement in primary school learning. In 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Multimedia (ISM) (pp. 181-184). IEEE, 5-7 Dec. 2022 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10019626
- X.Guo, D. Rees, M. Richards, A Scalable Interactive Mixed Reality Escape Room Simulation for Anatomy Learning, accepted by the 4th International Conference on Virtual and Augmented Reality Simulations (Sydney, Australia). it has also been invited to publish in International Journal of Modeling and Optimization, 2020
- D. Rees, X. Guo and M. Richards, The Introduction of a Prototype Anatomy-Based Virtual Escape Room System using Mixed Reality, presentation on Birmingham City University Learning and Teaching Futures Conference, 4th July, 2019
- X.Guo, M. Richards, D. Rees and D. Smyth, Exploring the Potential of Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies to Enhance Learning and Teaching, presentation on Birmingham City University CSPACE Conference, 2018
- X. Guo, S. Chong, S. Dyson,L.P. and J.J. Dias, The Architecture and Development of Multi-Role Course Design of a Web-based Group Training System, 2013 International Conference on Information and Education Technology (ICIET 2013),paper will be published in International Journal of Information and Education Technology (ISSN: 2010-3689)
Provides consultancy services to businesses.
Experienced in securing funding and managing Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) projects.
