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I’m a PhD engineer from the University of Georgia with a passion for turning complex ideas into engaging, kid-friendly experiences. My work blends game design, VR, and educational technology to create meaningful, hands-on learning in museums and schools. Over the years I’ve collaborated with psychologists, researchers, and developers to prototype, test, and scale immersive experiences. I love turning proof-of-concept concepts into real-world tools that encourage exploration, movement, and discovery for children.…I’m a PhD engineer from the University of Georgia with a passion for turning complex ideas into engaging, kid-friendly experiences. My work blends game design, VR, and educational technology to create meaningful, hands-on learning in museums and schools. Over the years I’ve collaborated with psychologists, researchers, and developers to prototype, test, and scale immersive experiences. I love turning proof-of-concept concepts into real-world tools that encourage exploration, movement, and discovery for children.

Catherine Ball

Game Developer, Game Designer, Developer, +7

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I’m a PhD engineer from the University of Georgia with a passion for turning complex ideas into engaging, kid-friendly experiences. My work blends game design, VR, and educational technology to create meaningful, hands-on learning in museums and schools. Over the years I’ve collaborated with psychologists, researchers, and developers to prototype, test, and scale immersive experiences. I love turning proof-of-concept concepts into real-world tools that encourage exploration, movement, and discovery for children.…I’m a PhD engineer from the University of Georgia with a passion for turning complex ideas into engaging, kid-friendly experiences. My work blends game design, VR, and educational technology to create meaningful, hands-on learning in museums and schools. Over the years I’ve collaborated with psychologists, researchers, and developers to prototype, test, and scale immersive experiences. I love turning proof-of-concept concepts into real-world tools that encourage exploration, movement, and discovery for children.

Available to hire

I’m a PhD engineer from the University of Georgia with a passion for turning complex ideas into engaging, kid-friendly experiences. My work blends game design, VR, and educational technology to create meaningful, hands-on learning in museums and schools.

Over the years I’ve collaborated with psychologists, researchers, and developers to prototype, test, and scale immersive experiences. I love turning proof-of-concept concepts into real-world tools that encourage exploration, movement, and discovery for children.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Language

English

Fluent

Work Experience

Software Engineer at UGA Virtual Experiences Lab

May 1, 2014 - December 31, 2023

Led software engineering initiatives, translating child feedback into gameplay design updates and implementing cross-platform modular solutions using Unity3D and C#. Optimized input systems for safety and usability in real-world children environments, such as school lunchrooms and museums. Developed VR tours and exploratory data analysis tools that competed in IEEE VR conferences and aided understanding of complex data. Collaborated on designing engaging physical activity programs and motion-interaction algorithms used by hundreds of children. Managed ETL processes for fast loading, significantly improving exhibit engagement by 58%, and orchestrated deployment projects impacting over 60,000 children across multiple sites over 5 years.

Software Engineer at UGA Virtual Experiences Lab

December 1, 2023 - December 1, 2023

Design and implement VR/serious games for children. Translate feedback into actionable design updates to game play mechanics; optimize input systems for real-world safety; deploy cross-platform Unity 3D builds (PC, iOS/iPadOS, Meta Quest); develop VR tours of 3D heart models; create VR data analysis tools (EDA) for gaze and movement data; lead interdisciplinary collaboration with psychology, kinesiology, engineering, and statistics to evolve concepts into deployed applications.

Software Engineer / Development Team Lead at UGA Virtual Experiences Lab

May 1, 2014 - December 1, 2023

Led modular design of VR experiences and cross-platform Unity 3D builds (PC, iOS/iPadOS, Meta Quest). Implemented optimized input system to accommodate real-world interference and safety constraints for elementary school lunchrooms and children's museum environments. Built a VR heart tour in Unity 3D and developed a VR exploratory data analysis (EDA) tool (Python/pandas) to analyze 3D movement and gaze data (HTC Vive). Designed and iterated engaging physical activity games with psychology, kinesiology, engineering, and statistics collaborations. Created a motion-detection interaction algorithm for real-world motion as a primary input (410+ children, Microsoft Kinect). Delivered a responsive jetpack flight system in VR. Implemented an ETL process to load virtual buddy players and retain child attention during startup. Analyzed exhibit deployment mechanics and recommended upgrades, increasing engagement by 58% (approx. 14,000 exhibit visitors per year). Orchestrated the afterschool VR fi

Software Engineer at University of Georgia - Virtual Experiences Lab

May 1, 2014 - December 1, 2023

Software Engineer at UGA's Virtual Experiences Lab, designing modular cross-platform Unity 3D solutions for PC, iOS/iPadOS, and Meta Quest VR. Implemented VR tours and data-driven tools, optimized input systems for safe physical environments, and collaborated with psychology, kinesiology, engineering, and statistics to translate concepts into deployed interactive experiences for children.

Software Engineer at University of Georgia, Virtual Experiences Lab

May 1, 2014 - December 1, 2023

Designed and deployed modular, cross-platform VR/AR experiences for PC, iOS/iPadOS, and Meta Quest; optimized input systems to tolerate real-world interference and safety constraints in elementary school lunchrooms and children's museum exhibit environments; developed VR tours and 3D models in Unity 3D; conducted exploratory data analysis (EDA) on motion and gaze data from HTC Vive; collaborated with psychology, kinesiology, engineering, and statistics departments to iterate on engaging physical-activity experiences and feedback mechanisms; led bi-weekly iterations to improve child interaction and safety; spearheaded the After-School Virtual Fitness Buddy project, scaling to 300+ children across 12 sites and supporting 60,000+ exhibit visitors over five years.

VR Lab Software Engineer at University of Georgia - Virtual Experiences Lab

May 1, 2014 - December 1, 2023

Led cross-disciplinary development of cross-platform VR/3D experiences (Unity3D, Unreal Engine) for PC, iOS/iPadOS, and Meta Quest; designed input, safety, and interference-mitigation for elementary school lunchroom and children's museum exhibits; implemented VR heart-tour demo; created VR data analysis tooling (EDA) for 3D movement and gaze data; co-developed a virtual buddy system engaging over 60k children across 12 sites; guided a multi-disciplinary team across psychology, kinesiology, engineering, and statistics; led after-school VR fitness activities and documented processes.

Development Team Lead / VR Game Designer (Virtual Buddy Project) at University of Georgia (UGA) & Children's Museum of Atlanta (CMOA)

May 1, 2014 - December 1, 2023

Led the Virtual Buddy project, translating child feedback into actionable design updates to gameplay mechanics and delivering cross-platform builds (PC, iOS/iPadOS, Meta Quest) in Unity (C#). Optimized input systems for safety constraints in schools and exhibit spaces, and created a VR tour of a 3D heart model that competed at IEEE VR 2016 (Gear VR, Android). Developed a VR Exploratory Data Analysis tool to understand 3D movement and gaze data with demographic and performance filters (HTC Vive). Designed a motion-detection interaction algorithm for body-based input used by 410 children and guided interdisciplinary teams across psychology, kinesiology, engineering, and statistics to deliver a scalable program. Orchestrated after-school VR Fitness Buddy experiments, reaching over 300 children across 12 sites in six months. Resulted in a 58% engagement uplift for exhibits (~14,000 visitors/year).

Education

Bachelor of Science in Psychology at University of Georgia

August 1, 2009 - May 1, 2014

Doctor Of Philosophy at University of Georgia

May 8, 2014 - December 15, 2023

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Engineering at University of Georgia (UGA)