Derek Ham

Derek Ham is the Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, where he leads innovative research and collaborative projects at the intersection of technology, design, and storytelling. With a deep commitment to fostering creativity and advancing the future of interactive entertainment, Derek brings a wealth of experience as a designer, teacher, and leader in the fields of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and immersive media.

Prior to joining CMU, Derek served as the Head of the Media Arts, Design and Technology department at North Carolina State University’s College of Design. There, he led the department’s transition to an emphasis on cutting-edge technologies, such as game based learning, algorithmic thinking, and immersive storytelling. He also founded the College of Design’s Mixed Reality Lab, where he worked with students to find new ways to utilize VR & AR technology and expand the possibilities of interaction design.

In 2017, he completed the VR project “I Am A Man.” Set during the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike and the last days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “I Am A Man” makes the history of the Civil Rights Movement alive and present by immersing users in the period. The project won multiple prizes, including the Perspectives Award for Immersive Storytelling at the 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival, VR Best of Show at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival, and the 2018 FoST Prize in the category “Bridging the Divide.” In 2022, his interactive VR experience “Barnstormers: Determined to Win,” which places users on the baseball field in the Negro Leagues, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

He completed his doctoral work in Design Computation from MIT, holds a Master’s in Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Hampton University.