Professor Dylan Yamada-Rice
Professor, Centre for Blended Realities
Professor Dylan Yamada-Rice is an artist and researcher specialising in storytelling and play. She works in a range of media including drawing, Virtual Reality and game engines. Dylan studied Japanese Art History, semiotics and social science research methods before moving into experimental design.
She obtained a BA in Art History and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African studies, University of London before going on to do postgraduate research in Japanese Art History at the University of Kyoto. She then went on to complete two Masters degrees in Childhood Education and Research Methods, before undertaking a PhD looking at children’s understanding of the visual mode within Japanese environments.
This interdisciplinary background has brought about a specialism in the role of culture in storytelling and use of emerging technologies, as well as how art and design practices can be combined with social science research methods to produce experimental means of collecting and analysing data. She has previously held academic posts at the University of Sheffield, the University of Plymouth and in Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art.
External Links
Qualifications
Qualifications
| Year | Qualification | Awarding body |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Ph.D. Visual Communication Practices, Funded by ESRC | University of Sheffield |
| 2009 | 2009 MA Educational Research, Funded by ESRC | University of Sheffield |
| 2007 | 2007 MA Early Childhood Education | University of Sheffield |
| 2000 | 2000 Postgraduate Research in Japanese Art History, Funded by Monbusho | University of Kyoto |
| 1996 | BA Art History, Archaeology and History | School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London |
Research Interests
Research interests and expertise
My research sits within the field of digital play and immersive storytelling for children. Within this area I work across academia and industry to co-design/co-produce products and experiences for children. Previously, I was employed both part time in academia and in the kids media industry, a crossover that has led me to be sought as an expert in the field for producing high-quality academic research that often leads directly to the development of successful commercial products, in the areas of digital play and storytelling for entertainment (videogames, toys, TV shows and theatre productions), health and education. To this end, I have worked with a wide range of partners such as Cartoon Network, Duplo, Tutti Frutti, CBBC, CBeebies, National Geographic Kids, Foundling Bird, NHS Trusts, Mersey Forest and many more. Additionally, I have a strong focus on developing research methods for better including children within research and design processes by using physical, digital and virtual making as part of the process. Details can be seen on my personal website.
Research topics
Emerging Technologies, Critical technologies, immersive storytelling, experimental research methods, Experience Design, Design for children.
Externally funded research grants
- 2023 Digital Voices of the Future: Children’s Visions of Future UK Treescapes Revealed Through Gaming. NERC
Co-Investigator. (PI) Simon Carr, University of Cumbria (Co-Is) Mersey Forest, MMU. - 2023 Exploring Children’s Attitudes Towards Notions of Digital Good/Bad through Hybrid Arts Practice. ESRC
Principal-Investigator. (Co-Is) (Angus Main, Richard Nash) RCA, (Steve Love) GSA, (John Potter) UCL and (Eleanor Dare) X||dinary Stories. - 2023 Rear Window for Brick Moon Virtual Theatre. Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Principal Investigator with Eleanor Dare, X||dinary Stories in collaboration with Big Telly. - 2023 Communication Design in the Context of Child Health. Impact Accelerator Funding, University of Sheffield
Co-Investigator. (PI) Jill Thompson, University of Sheffield - 2022 Trials with MRI Playkit, TiTCH Network and University of Sheffield.
Co-Investigator. (PI) (Jill Thompson) University of Sheffield, (Helen McQuillian))Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Trust. - 2022 Future of Broadcast Media for 7-11-Year-olds, AHRC via XR Stories
Principal-Investigator with Eleanor Dare X||dinary Stories. - 2021 Counter measures: Giving Children better control over how they're observed by digital sensors. EPSRC
Co-Investigator. (PI) Angus Main, Royal College of Art. - 2019 Promoting Disaster Resilience in Children: Developing a Network to Research Culturally Appropriate, Sustainable Public Health Interventions in Fiji and Samoa. GCRF. Co-Investigator. (PI) (Jill Thompson), University of Sheffield, Universities of Fiji, Samoa and Auckland
- 2019 VR and Mixed-Realities Play Kit to Prepare Under 10s for an MRI. Innovate UK.
Principal Investigator. (Co-I) (Jill Thompson) University of Sheffield, (Steve Love) GSA, (Helen McQuillian) Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Trust. Read more here. - 2019 Location-Based Virtual Reality Experiences for Children: Japan-UK Knowledge Exchange Network. ESRC/AHRC
Principal Investigator. (Co-I) (Angus Main, Eleanor Dare) RCA, (Steve Love) GSA, (John Potter) UCL, Hashilus, Japan, University of Tokyo, WEARVR. - 2016 The Potential Role of FabLabs and Maker Spaces in the Lives of Children. RISE, Marie Sklowska Curie Action
Co-Investigator. (PI) Jackie Marsh, University of Sheffield. - 2016-2018 VR and Children: Emerging Possibilities and Challenges. Commercially funded
Principal Investigator. - 2016 Investigating the Design and Use of a New Smart-Toy in Relation to Children’s Play. COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology),
Principal Investigator. (Co-I) Vai Kai Ltd, Berlin. - 2015 Play and Creativity in Preschoolers use of Apps. ESRC
Co-Investigator. (PI) Jackie Marsh, University of Sheffield, Cbeebies, University of Edinburgh, Foundling Bird, Dubit, Monteany Primary School. - 2014 Developing Videogames & Play for Hospitalised children. AHRC, £30K.
Co-investigator. (PI) University of Sheffield. (Co-Is) Birmingham and Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Trusts, Stripey Designs and Distinctive Games.
Research Students
Current research students
Brandon Barnard: Facilitating Serendipity: Exploring Chance as a Method of Discovery in Filmmaking
Xuefei Yang: When Machines Convince: Practice-Based Investigations into the Relational Dynamics between Computational Logic and Human Cognitive–Affective Predispositions.
Catherine Liu: Combining Interaction and Video: Exploring the Potential of Short Video Platforms in Science Education for Generation Z and a Comparative Study on Content, Interactivity, and User Experience
Jonathan Cruise: Investigating different static image styles within assessed digital
learning tasks: their affective factors and impact on the young learner
Lana Pericic: Visual Abundance, Absence and Place: Rethinking Family Archives in the Digital Age
Kumi Oda: Playful Communication Design in the Context of Child Health