Pierre Mikhiel
I'm an XR Developer, Designer, and Researcher combining expertise in Computer Science, Film, and Interactive Media to create innovative and immersive systems at the forefront of emerging technology.
Download ResumeContact
Work Experience
Internship
Mental.ae | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Nov 2024 - Jan 2025
I executed comprehensive QA testing on interactive food safety training modules, identifying critical UX flaws to enhance usability. Utilizing Cinemachine within Unity 3D, I utilized dynamic camera systems that significantly increased user engagement and collaborated with a cross-functional team to ensure all project milestones were met.
Fitness Assistant Coach
NYU Athletics Center | Shanghai | Jan - May 2024
Residential Assistant
NYU Housing | Abu Dhabi | Aug - Nov 2023, Aug 2025 - present
Research Experience
VR Emotion Induction Toolkit
As a Research Assistant at Aim Lab NYUAD, I contributed to a modular VR toolbox for systematically inducing and studying the six universal emotions and stress. I spearheaded the design of the "Anger" module, engineering interactive scenarios using social unfairness and time pressure to trigger a targeted response. My role also involved implementing biometric and behavioral data analysis protocols to empirically validate the emotional states elicited by the VR toolkit.
vER: Virtual Human Companionship for Preoperative Care
As a Co-Author, I designed virtual agents that leverage social presence to mitigate patient anxiety in simulated pre-operative hospital settings. I validated the agents' efficacy by conducting a pilot study that integrated biometric tracking with qualitative post-study surveys. The findings have been presented at prestigious international venues including IMX ACM Conference 2025 and EMRN Barcelona 2025.
Projects & Installations
