Role
Professor Glyn Lawson is Professor of Creative Industries and Head of the Research Centre for Creative Industries (RCCI) at NTU. He leads the Centre’s strategy to empower researchers to shape the future of the creative and digital arts. The Centre’s work explores creative practice, methods, design innovation, artistic research, immersive technologies, and the role of generative AI in culture and society. Professor Lawson oversees research development across the creative and cultural sectors, supporting impactful, interdisciplinary projects that drive innovation, knowledge exchange, and place-based growth. His work is integrated with Design and Digital Arts, aligning research, teaching, and knowledge exchange.
Career overview
Professor Glyn Lawson holds a BSc (Hons) in Industrial Design from Edinburgh Napier University, an MSc in Work Design and Ergonomics from the University of Birmingham, and a PhD in Human Factors from the University of Nottingham.
Early in his career, Glyn worked as a Design Ergonomist at Jaguar Land Rover, where he applied user-centred design methods to vehicle development. He then moved into academia, spending nearly two decades at the University of Nottingham, where he led interdisciplinary research in immersive and digital technologies and secured major funding from EPSRC, AHRC, Innovate UK, and industry partners.
He continues to collaborate with industry and heritage organisations through consultancy and knowledge exchange in digital design and immersive innovation.
Research areas
Dr Lawson’s research expertise centres on the application of immersive digital technologies and human factors, focusing on how Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR) can be used for transformative experiences and knowledge translation:
- Immersive Digital Creativity: Specialising in the design, development, and evaluation of Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR) systems and their application in the creative industries.
- Digital Heritage and Storytelling: Utilising VR/AR to create narrative-driven experiences, particularly in the heritage sector (e.g., virtual reconstructions and museum exhibits).
- Human Factors in Immersive Environments: Research into user trust, behaviour patterns, and the effectiveness of VR for high-consequence scenarios, including therapeutic interventions, FinTech, and emergency response (e.g., fire evacuation and at-height simulations).
External activity
Glyn is currently serving on the EPSRC Peer Review College. He is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist. Glyn serves on editorial boards for Applied Ergonomics and Frontiers in Virtual Reality.
Publications
Professor Glyn Lawson - Google Scholar
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8906-4873
Shah, D., and Lawson, G. The Role of Different Sensory Stimuli in an at Height Simulation, Under review: Submitted to Applied Ergonomics, 129, p.104559.
Tang, P., Lawson, G., Sun, X. and Sharples, S., 2024. Culture and Sketching: Comparative Analysis of UK and Chinese Designers. The Journal of Creative Behavior, pp.1-38.
Aldahlawi, R.Y., Akbari, V. and Lawson, G., 2024. A systematic review of methodologies for human behavior modelling and routing optimization in large-scale evacuation planning. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, p.104638.
Hermawati, S., Correa, R., Mohan, M., Lawson, G. and Houghton, R., 2024. Defining human-centricity in Industry 5.0 and assessing the readiness of ergonomics/human factors communities in UK. Ergonomics, pp.1-20.
Ma, H., Yuan, X., Sun, X., Lawson, G. and Wang, Q., 2024. Seeing Your Stories: Visualization for Narrative Medicine. Health Data Science, 4, p.0103.
Ma, H., Sun, X., Lawson, G., Wang, Q. and Zhang, Y., 2023. Visualising emotion in support of patient-physician communication: an empirical study. Behaviour & Information Technology, 42(11), pp.1782-1800. -
Tang, P., Lawson, G., Sun, X. and Sharples, S., 2022. Probing cultural differences in product design and consumer evaluation using repertory grid analysis. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, pp.1-20.
Marinescu, A., Argyle, E.M., Duvnjak, J., Wilson, M.L., Lawson, G., Sharples, S., Hubbard, E.M. and Justham, L., 2023. The future of manufacturing: Utopia or dystopia?. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 33(2), pp.184-200.
Dadashi, N., Lawson, G., Marshall, M. and Stokes, G., 2022. Cognitive and metabolic workload assessment techniques: A review in automotive manufacturing context. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 32(1), pp.20-34.
Argyle, E.M., Marinescu, A., Wilson, M.L., Lawson, G. and Sharples, S., 2021. Physiological indicators of task demand, fatigue, and cognition in future digital manufacturing environments. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 145, article no.102522. –
Lawson, G., Roper, T., Shaw, E., Hsieh, M.K. and Cobb, S.V., 2020. Multimodal virtual environments: an opportunity to improve fire safety training?. Policy and Practice in Health and Safety, 18(2), pp.155-168.
Lacueva-Pérez, F.J., Hermawati, S., Amoraga, P., Salillas-Martinez, R., Alonso, R.D.H. and Lawson, G., 2020. SHION: Towards An Interactive Digital Twin Supporting Shopfloor Operations on Real Time. IEEE Internet Computing.
Large, D.R., Burnett, G., Crundall, E., Lawson, G., Skrypchuk, L. and Mouzakitis, A., 2019. Evaluating secondary input devices to support an automotive touchscreen HMI: A cross-cultural simulator study conducted in the UK and China. Applied ergonomics, 78, pp.184-196.
Prasetyo, R.A.B. and Lawson, G., 2019. Digital Human Modeling to Predict Passenger Comfort: A Case of Indonesian Angkot. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology, 9 (6), pp. 1856-1864.
Stedmon, A., Lawson, G., Lewis, L., Richards, D. and Grant, R., 2017. Human behaviour in emergency situations: Comparisons between aviation and rail domains. Security Journal, 30(3), pp.963-978.
Amos, M. and Lawson, G., 2017. User-centered design of a portable fire extinguisher. Ergonomics in Design, 25(3), pp.20-27.
Lawson, G., Roper, T., Herriotts, P., Malcolm, L. and Salanitri, D., 2017. Perceptions of an automotive load space in a virtual environment. International Journal of Vehicle Design, 74(2), pp.92-105.
Langley, A., Lawson, G., Hermawati, S., D'Cruz, M., Apold, J., Arlt, F. and Mura, K., 2016. Establishing the usability of a virtual training system for assembly operations within the automotive industry. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 26(6), pp.667-679.
Wang, Q., Sun, X., Cobb, S., Lawson, G. and Sharples, S., 2016. 3D printing system: an innovation for small-scale manufacturing in home settings?–early adopters of 3D printing systems in China. International Journal of Production Research, 54(20), pp.6017-6032.
Lawson, G., Brown, M., Coughlan, T., Floyde, A., Baurley, S., Elliott, M., Koppe, T. and Tsai, A., 2016. Enhancing the design process with drama-related methods. The Design Journal, 19(4), pp.605-623.
Borsci, S., Lawson, G., Salanitri, D. and Jha, B., 2016. When simulated environments make the difference: the effectiveness of different types of training of car service procedures. Virtual reality, 20(2), pp.83-99.
Lawson, G., Salanitri, D. and Waterfield, B., 2016. Future directions for the development of virtual reality within an automotive manufacturer. Applied ergonomics, 53, pp.323-330.
Borsci, S., Lawson, G., Jha, B., Burges, M. and Salanitri, D., 2016. Effectiveness of a multidevice 3D virtual environment application to train car service maintenance procedures. Virtual reality, 20(1), pp.41-55.
Lawson, G., Herriotts, P., Malcolm, L., Gabrecht, K. and Hermawati, S., 2015. The use of virtual reality and physical tools in the development and validation of ease of entry and exit in passenger vehicles. Applied ergonomics, 48, pp.240-251.
Brown, M., Coughlan, T., Blum, J., Lawson, G., Houghton, R., Mortier, R., Goulden, M. and Arunachalam, U., 2015. Tailored Scenarios: A Low-Cost Online Method to Elicit Perceptions of Home Technologies Using Participant-Specific Contextual Information. Interacting with Computers, 27(1), pp.60-71.
Hermawati, S., Lawson, G., D'Cruz, M., Arlt, F., Apold, J., Andersson, L., Lövgren, M.G. and Malmsköld, L., 2015. Understanding the complex needs of automotive training at final assembly lines. Applied ergonomics, 46, pp.144-157.
Hermawati, S. and Lawson, G., 2014. Managing obesity through mobile phone applications: a state-of-the-art review from a user-centred design perspective. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 18(8), pp.2003-2023.
Burnett, G.E., Large, D.R., Lawson, G., De-Kremer, S. and Skrypchuk, L., 2013. A comparison of resistive and capacitive touchscreens for use within vehicles. Advances in transportation studies, (31).
Saikayasit, R., Stedmon, A.W. and Lawson, G., 2013. User requirements elicitation in security and counter-terrorism: A human factors approach. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 28(2), pp.162-170.
Zhang, K., Frumkin, L.A., Stedmon, A. and Lawson, G., 2013. Deception in context: coding nonverbal cues, situational variables and risk of detection. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 28(2), pp.150-161.
Burnett, G., Lawson, G., Millen, L., Pickering, C. and Webber, E., 2013. Designing touchpad user-interfaces for right-hand drive vehicles: an investigation into where the touchpad should be located. Behaviour & Information Technology, 32(9), pp.874-887.
Burnett, G.E., Lawson, G., Donkor, R. and Kuriyagawa, Y., 2013. Menu hierarchies for in-vehicle user-interfaces: Modelling the depth vs. breadth trade-off. Displays, 34(4), pp.241-249.
Stedmon, A.W. and Lawson, G., 2013. Terrorism psychology: Theory & application. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 28(2), pp.91-93.
Lawson, G., Stedmon, A.W., Zhang, K., Eubanks, D.L. and Frumkin, L.A., 2013. The effects of self-awareness on body movement indicators of the intention to deceive. Applied Ergonomics, 44(5), pp.687-693.
Brown, M., Coughlan, T., Lawson, G., Goulden, M., Houghton, R.J. and Mortier, R., 2013. Exploring Interpretations of Data from the Internet of Things in the Home. Interacting with Computers, 25(3), pp.204-217.
Lawson, G., Sharples, S., Clarke, D. and Cobb, S., 2013. Validating a low cost approach for predicting human responses to emergency situations. Applied ergonomics, 44(1), pp.27-34.
Burnett, G., Lawson, G., Millen, L. and Pickering, C., 2011. Designing touchpad user-interfaces for vehicles: which tasks are most suitable?. Behaviour & Information Technology, 30(3), pp.403-414.
Burnett, G.E., Millen, L., Lawson, G. and Pickering, C., 2010. Investigating design issues for the use of touchpad technology within vehicles. Advances in transportation studies, Spec. Issue, pp.19-32.
Conference papers
Lawson, G. and Cobb, S.V., 2021, June. Human Factors and Ergonomics by Distance Learning: Successes, Challenges and Opportunities. In Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (pp. 560-566). Springer, Cham.
Prayitnoadi, R.P., Lawson, G., Ryan, B. and Hermawati, S., 2019, November. Ergonomics in Mining: Participatory Approach in Indonesian Tin Mining. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 694, No. 1, p. 012023). IOP Publishing.
Shaw, E., Roper, T., Nilsson, T., Lawson, G., Cobb, S.V. and Miller, D., 2019, May. The heat is on: Exploring user behaviour in a multisensory virtual environment for fire evacuation. In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-13).
Nilsson, T., Roper, T., Shaw, E., Lawson, G., Cobb, S.V., Meng-Ko, H., Miller, D. and Khan, J., 2019, May. Multisensory virtual environment for fire evacuation training. In Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-4).
Wareing, J., Lawson, G., Abdullah, C. and Roper, T., 2018, September. User perception of heat source location for a multisensory fire training simulation. In 2018 10th Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CEEC) (pp. 214-218). IEEE.
Tahsiri, M., Lawson, G., Abdullah, C. and Roper, T., 2018, March. A multisensory virtual environment for OSH training. In 2018 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR) (pp. 699-700). IEEE.
Abdullah, C., Lawson, G. and Roper, T., 2017, June. A virtual environment with haptic feedback for better distance estimation. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems (pp. 87-92).
Roper, T., Lawson, G. and Abdullah, C., 2017, June. Development of a low-cost multimodal VR system for engineering design. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems (pp. 293-296).
Waldron, J.A., Lawson, G., Robinson, D. and Cobb, S., 2017. Variability of human behaviour in outdoor public spaces, associated with the thermal environment. In Proceedings of 33rd PLEA International Conference: Design to Thrive, PLEA 2017, 1, pp. 1328-1335.
Large, D.R., Burnett, G., Crundall, E., Lawson, G. and Skrypchuk, L., 2016, October. Twist it, touch it, push it, swipe it: evaluating secondary input devices for use with an automotive touchscreen HMI. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (pp. 161-168).
Salanitri, D., Lawson, G. and Waterfield, B., 2016, September. The relationship between presence and trust in virtual reality. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics (pp. 1-4).
Lawson, G., Roper, T. and Abdullah, C., 2016, September. Multimodal" Sensory Illusions" for Improving Spatial Awareness in Virtual Environments. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics (pp. 1-4).
Redaelli, C., Santopietro, M., Sacco, M., Lawson, G. and D'Cruz, M., 2008, June. The contributions of presence and ergonomics to the digital factory. In 2008 IEEE International Technology Management Conference (ICE) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
Kee, E.C. and Lawson, G., 2015, September. A psychophysical study of colour perception using digital and real objects. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 59, No. 1, pp. 1307-1311). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Borsci, S., Lawson, G., Burgess, M. and Jha, B., 2015, August. Early prototype assessment of a new virtual system for training procedural skills of automotive service operators: LARTE tool. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 135-143). Springer, Cham.
Lawson, G., Salanitri, D. and Waterfield, B., 2015, August. Vr processes in the automotive industry. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 208-217). Springer, Cham.
Salanitri, D., Hare, C., Borsci, S., Lawson, G., Sharples, S. and Waterfield, B., 2015, August. Relationship between trust and usability in virtual environments: An ongoing study. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 49-59). Springer, Cham.
Evans, J., Brown, M., Coughlan, T., Lawson, G. and Craven, M.P., 2015, August. A systematic review of dementia focused assistive technology. In International conference on human-computer interaction (pp. 406-417). Springer, Cham.
Hermawati, S. and Lawson, G., 2015. A user-centric methodology to establish usability heuristics for specific domains. Contemp. Ergon. Hum. Factors 2015, pp.80-85.
Coughlan, T., Brown, M., McAuley, D., Baurley, S., Tsai, A., Koppe, T., Elliott, M., Green, S., Martin, J. and Lawson, G., 2014, September. Living with the user: design drama for dementia care through responsive scripted experiences in the home. In Proceedings of the 2014 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing: Adjunct Publication (pp. 35-38).
Brown, M., Tsai, A., Baurley, S., Koppe, T., Lawson, G., Martin, J., Coughlan, T., Elliott, M., Green, S. and Arunachalam, U., 2014, June. Using cultural probes to inform the design of assistive technologies. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 35-46). Springer, Cham.
Burnett, G., Crundall, E., Large, D., Lawson, G. and Skrypchuk, L., 2013, October. A study of unidirectional swipe gestures on in-vehicle touch screens. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (pp. 22-29).
Zhang, K., Eubanks, D.L., Frumkin, L.A., Saikayasit, R., Stedmon, A.W. and Lawson, G., 2013, April. Telling the difference between deceiving and truth telling: An experiment in a public space. In 2013 10th IEEE International Conference and Workshops on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition (FG) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
Coughlan, T., Brown, M., Lawson, G., Mortier, R., Houghton, R.J. and Goulden, M., 2013. Tailored scenarios: a low-cost online method to elicit perceptions on designs using real relationships. In CHI'13 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 343-348).
Shalloe, S., Lawson, G., D’Cruz, M. and Eastgate, R., 2013, April. Developing software to help small businesses manage occupational safety and health. In Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors 2013: Proceedings of the international conference on Ergonomics & Human Factors 2013, Cambridge, UK, 15-18 April 2013 (p. 79). CRC Press.
Hermawati, S. and Lawson, G., 2013, April. User-centred design of virtual training for automotive industries. In Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors 2013: Proceedings of the international conference on Ergonomics & Human Factors 2013, Cambridge, UK, 15-18 April 2013 (p. 267). CRC Press.
Coughlan, T., Brown, M., Mortier, R., Houghton, R.J., Goulden, M. and Lawson, G., 2012, November. Exploring Acceptance and Consequences of the Internet of Things in the Home. In 2012 IEEE international conference on green computing and communications (pp. 148-155). IEEE.
Lawson, G., Stedmon, A., Zhang, C., Eubanks, D. and Frumkin, L., 2011, July. Deception and self-awareness. In International Conference on Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics (pp. 414-423). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Lawson, G., Sharples, S., Cobb, S., Clarke, D., 2009. Predicting the human response to an emergency. Contemporary Ergonomics 2009 (pp. 525-532).
Lawson, G., Sharples, S., Clarke, D. and Cobb, S., 2009, July. Development of a technique for predicting the human response to an emergency situation. In International Conference on Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics (pp. 22-31). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Sacco, M., Redaelli, C., Constantinescu, C., Lawson, G., D’Cruz, M. and Pappas, M., 2007, July. DiFac: digital factory for human oriented production system. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 1140-1149). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Book chapters
Salanitri, D., Lawson, G. and Waterfield, B., 2020. Enhancing trust in virtual reality systems. In New Perspectives on Virtual and Augmented Reality (pp. 132-146). Routledge.
Stedmon, A.W., Saikayasit, R., Lawson, G. and Fussey, P., 2013. User requirements and training needs within security applications: Methods for capture and communication. In Strategic intelligence management (pp. 120-133). Butterworth-Heinemann.
Lawson, G., Stedmon, A.W., Saikayasit, R. and Crundall, E., 2012. Interpreting Deceptive Behaviors. Advances in Social and Organizational Factors, p.247.
Stedmon, A.W., Lawson, G., Saikayasit, R., White, C., Howard, C. and Vink, P., 2012. Human factors in counter-terrorism. Advances in Social and Organizational Factors, p.237.
Gorecky, D., Lawson, G., Mura, K., Hermawati, S. and Overby, M.L., 2012. User-centered design of a game-based, virtual training system. Advances in Ergonomics in Manufacturing, pp.78-87.
Saikayasit, R., Stedmon, A.W., Lawson, G. and Fussey, P., 2012. User requirements for security and counter-terrorism initiatives. Advances in Social and Organizational Factors. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp.256-265.
Lawson, G., Tosolin, G., Leva, C., Sharples, S., Langley, A., Shaikh, S. and Liston, P., 2010. Investigating manual work using human factors approaches and behavioral analysis. In: Advances in Occupational, Social, and Organizational Ergonomics, pp. 239-249.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
| Professor Lawson’s research advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals through digitally enabled cultural access, inclusive design, and societal resilience. His work in digital heritage expands access to cultural experiences and historic environments through immersive technologies, directly supporting Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) by making heritage more accessible, inclusive, and engaging. By designing and evaluating Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and AI-driven experiences, he develops approaches that widen participation for diverse audiences, aligning with Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10). Through his leadership in creative technologies (Createch), Professor Lawson contributes to innovation in the cultural and creative industries, strengthening sustainable cultural infrastructure and digital transformation within cities (SDG 11). Alongside this, his research on human behaviour in emergency scenarios - including flood response and evacuation modelling - supports Climate Action (SDG 13) by improving preparedness, resilience, and evidence-based decision-making in the face of environmental risk. Together, his work demonstrates how immersive and simulation technologies can both enrich cultural life and enhance societal resilience in an era of rapid environmental and technological change. |
