Dr David White

Senior Lecturer

Digital, Tech, Innovation & Business

I graduated from Staffordshire University in 2000 with a 1st class BSc (Hons) in Computer Science. After leaving University, I worked in the games industry, notably working on the now cult XBOX / PC title Call of Cthulhu, Dark Corners of the Earth.

 

In 2009 I completed a PhD in Artificial Life and Simulation at the University of Birmingham. During my PhD I also undertook a contract to develop marine biology simulations for the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth.

 

In 2009 I was employed as Team Lead for 3D Technologies at Astraware, and following that, in 2012, I founded Secret Attic Software specialising in developing apps on iOS and Android. Over five years Secret Attic Software won several contracts with organisations such as the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, Keele University and Coventry University.

 

I joined Staffordshire University in late 2017. I’m currently the Course Leader for PhDs and Research Lead in the department of Games and Visual Effects. Research interests are in Artificial Life, Artificial Intelligence, VR, and AR.

Professional memberships and activities

  • Fellow of the HEA (Higher Education Academy)

Academic qualifications

  • PhD Artificial Life and Simulation, 2009. University of Birmingham.
  • BSc (hons), 1st Class, Computer Science. Staffordshire University.

Expertise

  • C++ programming
  • Artificial Life
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Graphics Programming (DirectX and OpenGL)
  • Agent Based Modelling
  • Research methods

Research interests

    • Artificial Life
    • Agent Based Modelling
    • Computer Simulation

 

Enterprise and commercial interests

I am actively working with the Staffordshire University SDIP programme to generate income and help local businesses to develop mobile game-based projects.

I have worked on several projects in industry and academia, developing applications for the health, education, and serious games for training. This has involved organisations such as the NHS, the British Army, Royal Navy, Keele University and Coventry University.

Teaching

Undergraduate:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • C++ Programming
  • Graphics Programming

Postgraduate:

  • PhD Supervisor

Publications

  • White D. (2007) Variance in Water Temperature as a Factor in the Modelling of Starfish and Mussel Population Density and Diversity. In: Advances in Artificial Life. ECAL 2007
  • White D. (2008) Developing Artificial Life Simulations of Marine Biology and Exploring Measures of Complexity. In: Computer Modeling and Simulation, 2008. EMS 2008
  • Stone, R., White, D., Guest, R. et al. (2009) The Virtual Scylla: an exploration of “serious games”, artificial life and simulation complexity. In: Virtual Reality
  • Bedson J., Cooke K., White D., Wathall S., Dent S., Chen Y., van der Windt D.(2019) Development and validation of a pain monitoring app for patients with musculoskeletal conditions (Keele Pain Recorder feasibility study) In: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
  • Fallows et al (2022) Design and Development Approach for an Interactive Virtual Museum with Haptic Glove Technology
  • Davis, White (2022) Beyond Simulation: Establishing First Principles of Fidelity in the Design of Digitalised Abstract Learning Content
  • Zanaty et al (2022) The impact of banner advertisement placement for Arabic readers and advertising outcomes
  • Challenor et al (2023) Hand-Controlled User Interfacing for Head-Mounted Augmented Reality Learning Environments
  • Shahawy et al (2022) A Review on Plastic Artificial Neural Networks: Exploring the Intersection between Neural Architecture Search and Continual Learning
  • White et al (2023) The Design, Development and Pilot Study of a Marine Ecological Simulation for Education of Environmental Changes on Marine Life
in the UK for Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021