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Dr Shaleph O'Neill

Lecturer - Interactive Media Design

 
BIOGRAPHY
INTERESTS
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TEACHING

 
BIOGRAPHY

Shaleph O’Neill, is the Course Director for the Interactive Media Design programme at the University of Dundee. He initially trained in fine art, as a sculptor, where his interest in the communication of meaning lead to the production and exhibition of artwork (from 1994-2000) that explored the use of semiotics - the study of signs and symbolism. In 2001, he began a PhD at Napier University under Prof. David Benyon’s supervision, which applied his artistic background and interest in semiotics to the issues of user interface design. In April 2005 he successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled ‘Exploring a Semiotics of New Media’. The thesis reviewed a wide range of semiotic theories with the aim of identifying the appropriate elements of semiotic theory applicable to interactive media systems. At the same time (2003-2005), he worked as a research assistant on the EU funded BENOGO project in the Future and Emerging Technologies programme of Framework 5. Investigating the issue of ‘presence’ in virtual environments, he developed a phenomenological understanding of how to communicate a sense of ‘place’ within virtual environments, phenomenology being the study of the contents of consciousness.