Available to hire
I’m Phat Nguyen, a multidisciplinary creative leader based in Roanoke, VA, with 10+ years building real-time 3D, XR, and immersive storytelling experiences. I specialize in leading cross-functional teams, shipping high-impact digital productions, and optimizing assets for real-time performance while bridging art, technology, and education.
My practice blends Unity and Unreal pipelines with AI-assisted workflows to design scalable production pipelines, mentor teams, and craft educational experiences for museums, universities, and industry partners.
Skills
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Language
English
Fluent
Vietnamese
Intermediate
Work Experience
Creative Director at Science Museum of Western Virginia
January 1, 2024 - PresentLead and manage the artistic and design process for planetarium productions. Develop custom educational shows incorporating extensive research, current AI tools, creative visual effects, sound design, and organic music. Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to conceptualize and execute future planetarium shows and events. Spearheaded grant-writing and fundraising efforts to secure financial support for nonprofit programs and projects.
3D Artist at HighStreet Market
September 30, 2025 - September 4, 2025Modeled, textured, and optimized over 100 intricate low poly asset sets to enhance user experience and improve game runtime performance. Enhanced gaming experience with optimized visual assets and 3D scenes, resulting in a 20% increase in frame rate. Created tailored 3D asset designs for eight seasonal graphics campaigns including events, holidays, and custom themes. Set up scenes for Unity builds including prefabs, materials, LODs, and colliders for full environment builds.
Talent Development at Vytal Studios
April 30, 2022 - September 4, 2025Organized and collaborated with a diverse team of designers, developers, and content creators to execute innovative XR experiences. Proactively coached staff on creative and design thinking to solve complex problems. Coached teams of 15+ stakeholders across four countries on integrating different platforms for higher scalability and flexibility.
3D Artist at 4thWall FX
October 31, 2022 - September 4, 2025Modeled and textured high-quality characters, assets, and environments optimized for VR experiences and movies. Utilized software such as Photoshop, Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter for concept art and design. Implemented LODs and trim sheets to decrease polygon count and texture memory usage to improve performance and memory usage for open-world VR experiences.
Creative Technologist 3D Specialist at Virginia Tech ARIES
May 31, 2019 - September 4, 2025Collaborated with researchers from various disciplines to explore new possibilities and emerging technologies. Contributed to development of new techniques and methodologies for data collection, analysis, and interaction. Worked with a team of developers and designers to create immersive interactive experiences.
Visiting Professor at Virginia Tech School of Visual Arts
May 31, 2019 - September 4, 2025Integrated latest technology trends in art and design into curriculum for 30 classes resulting in a 90% student satisfaction rate. Conducted research on VR, AR, 3D scanning, and 3D printing techniques to advance educational development. Generated enrichment opportunities to cultivate collaboration, problem-solving, and independent growth among students.
3D Generalist Intern at Smithsonian Natural History Museum
September 30, 2014 - September 4, 2025Worked on revitalizing the Skin & Bones exhibit by 3D scanning artifacts for AR interactive educational app. Conducted research on VR, AR, 3D scanning, and 3D printing techniques to drive educational development and create best practices for digitization.
Creative Director at Science Museum of Western Virginia
January 1, 2024 - PresentLead and manage the artistic and design process for planetarium productions. Develop custom educational shows, incorporating extensive research, current AI tools, creative visual effects, sound design, and organic music. Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to conceptualize and execute future planetarium shows and events. Spearheaded grant-writing and fundraising efforts to secure financial support for nonprofit programs and projects.
3D Artist at HighStreet Market
September 1, 2025 - October 6, 2025Modeled, textured, and optimized 100+ intricate sets of assets with a low poly limit to enhance user experience and improve the game's run-time performance. Enhanced gaming experience, optimizing visual assets and 3D scenes, resulting in a 20% increase in frame rate on players' devices. Created tailored 3D asset designs for eight seasonal graphics campaigns for seasonal events, holidays, and custom themes for stakeholders. Scene setup for Unity build that includes creating prefabs, materials, LODs, and colliders for full environment builds.
Talent Development at Vytal Studios
April 1, 2022 - October 6, 2025Organized and collaborated with a diverse team of designers, developers & content creators to execute innovative XR Experiences. Proactively coached staff on creative & design thinking to solve complex problems. Coached teams of 15+ stakeholders across four countries on integrating different platforms for higher scalability & flexibility.
3D Artist at 4thWall FX
October 1, 2022 - October 6, 2025Modeled and textured high-quality characters, assets, and environments optimized for both VR experiences and movies. Utilized software such as Photoshop, Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter to create concept art and designs. Implemented LODs and Trim sheets to decrease polygon count and texture memory usage to improve performance and memory usage for open-world VR experiences.
Creative Technologist 3D Specialist at Virginia Tech ARIES
May 1, 2019 - October 6, 2025Collaborated with researchers from various disciplines to explore new possibilities and potential use cases for emerging technologies. Contributed to the development of new techniques and methodologies for data collection, analysis, and interaction. Worked with a team of developers and designers to create immersive interactive experiences.
Visiting Professor at Virginia Tech School of Visual Arts
May 1, 2019 - October 6, 2025Integrated the latest technology trends in art and design into the curriculum for 30 classes resulting in a 90% satisfaction rate by students. Conducted research on VR, AR, 3D scanning, and 3D printing techniques to drive educational development and push boundaries of teaching methodologies, resulting in several universities' adoption of 4 projects. Generated enrichment opportunities that enabled students to cultivate collaboration, problem-solving skills, and independent growth.
3D Generalist Intern at Smithsonian Natural History Museum
September 1, 2014 - October 6, 2025Worked on revitalizing the Skin & Bones exhibit by 3D scanning artifacts for AR interactive educational app. Conducted research on VR, AR, 3D scanning, and 3D printing techniques to drive educational development and push boundaries of teaching methodologies, creating best practices for digitization.
Mentor at Mentoring for Students
May 1, 2019 - October 6, 2025Successfully mentored a senior undergraduate student through their senior show portfolio, resulting in a high-quality end-of-the-year exhibition that showcased the student's skills and creativity. Demonstrated leadership by serving as graduate thesis defense chair for two students, providing guidance and support throughout their thesis projects and presentations. Facilitated regular meetings and constructive feedback to help students stay on track and overcome challenges.
3D Artist at HighStreet Market
May 1, 2022 - September 1, 2025Modeled, textured, and optimized 100+ production-ready 3D asset sets under strict poly, memory, and performance budgets. Improved runtime performance by ~20% average frame-rate gains through optimized topology, materials, LODs, and scene organization. Created custom assets for 8+ seasonal and branded campaigns, supporting live events and stakeholder initiatives. Built Unity-ready environments including prefabs, materials, LOD groups, collision meshes, and scene hierarchies. Collaborated closely with engineers and designers to ensure assets met technical and gameplay requirements.
Talent Development at Vital Studios
August 1, 2021 - April 1, 2022Led and coordinated multidisciplinary teams of designers, developers, and content creators delivering XR and interactive experiences. Coached creatives on design thinking, rapid prototyping, and cross-platform workflows to solve complex production challenges. Mentored and supported 15+ professionals across four countries, improving team scalability, collaboration, and creative consistency. Helped integrate emerging tools and pipelines to increase flexibility and production velocity.
3D Artist at 4thWall FX
May 1, 2019 - October 1, 2022Created high-quality characters, environments, and props for VR experiences and cinematic content. Produced concept art and production assets using Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Photoshop. Implemented LODs, trim sheets, and optimized UV layouts to reduce draw calls, texture memory, and polygon counts. Delivered assets tailored for open-world VR environments while maintaining visual fidelity.
Creative Technologist 3D Specialist at Virginia Tech ARIES
September 1, 2017 - May 1, 2019Collaborated with researchers across engineering, science, and design to prototype immersive, interactive systems. Contributed to new methodologies for data visualization, interaction design, and experiential storytelling. Built interactive XR experiences alongside developers and designers using emerging technologies.
Visiting Professor at Virginia Tech School of Visual Arts
September 1, 2017 - May 1, 2019Designed and taught curriculum integrating cutting-edge technologies, including VR, AR, 3D scanning, and 3D printing. Taught 30+ courses, achieving a 90% student satisfaction rate. Led research-driven projects later adopted by multiple universities. Mentored students in collaboration, problem-solving, and professional creative workflows.
Education
BFA & MFA with an emphasis in Creative Technology at Virginia Tech
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2014BA & MFA in Creative Technology at Virginia Tech
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2014BFA & MFA in Creative Technology at Virginia Tech
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2014BFA & MFA in Creative Technology at Virginia Tech
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2014Qualifications
ICAT Mini SEAD Grant
January 1, 2016 - September 4, 2025Dean’s List
January 11, 2030 - September 4, 2025Master Student of the Year
January 1, 2015 - September 4, 2025Master Student of the Year
January 1, 2016 - September 4, 2025ICAT Mini Seed Grant
January 1, 2016 - October 6, 2025ICAT Mini Sead Grant
January 1, 2016 - January 29, 2026Dean's List
January 11, 2030 - January 29, 2026Master Student of the Year
January 1, 2015 - January 29, 2026Master Student of the Year
January 1, 2016 - January 29, 2026ICAT Mini SEAD Grant
January 1, 2016 - January 29, 2026Dean's List
January 11, 2030 - January 29, 2026Master Student of the Year
January 1, 2015 - January 29, 2026Master Student of the Year
January 1, 2016 - January 29, 2026Industry Experience
Education, Gaming, Non-Profit Organization, Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet, Computers & Electronics
Hire a Creative Director
We have the best creative director experts on Twine. Hire a creative director in Roanoke today.