SWAGUR
The Saskatchewan Waterloo Games User Research Training Program
Who Can Apply?
Students who are going to complete a Masters or PhD degree at either the University of Waterloo or the University of Saskatchewan can apply to the SWaGUR program. In addition, students in both full-time and part-time studies are welcome to apply. It is important to note, Masters students that apply are expected to stay in the SWaGUR program for two years and Ph.D. students should spend at least four years in the program.
Choose Your Supervisor
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University of Saskatchewan
Dr Regan Mandryk
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Mandryk’s research focuses on physiological evaluation in computer games, affective computing, games for health, novel interaction techniques, game heuristics, interactive technology that fosters interpersonal relationships and Dr. Mandryk investigates novel ways of understanding how people experience interactive technology.
Dr Carl Gutwin
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Carl Gutwin is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan and is the Director of the HCI lab. Dr. Gutwin’s work focuses on computer-supported cooperative work, interaction techniques, and surface computing.
Dr Lorin Elias
Supervisor in Psychology
Research Areas
Dr. Lorin Elias is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and is an Associate Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Elias’ research areas are cognitive neuroscience, cognitive evolution, spatial attention, perceptual phenomena, advertising and aesthetics, and left and right brain functionalities.
Dr Kevin Schneider
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Kevin Schneider is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan and is the Director of the Software Research Lab. Dr. Schneider’s research focuses on software architecture, design, evolution, maintenance, analysis, navigation, visualization, simulation and modeling. In addition, Dr. Schneider researches human-computer interaction, forward and reverse engineering, collaborative software teams, and domain specific languages.
Dr Kevin Stanley
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Kevin Stanley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Stanley researches technology to measure, analyse, and act on sensed human behaviour. He is interested in using sensed human behaviour for ubiquitous games and exergames.
Dr Ian Stavness
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Ian Stavness is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan. His research areas are biomedical computation, biometrics, computer graphics and computer simulations.
Dr Regan Mandryk
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Mandryk’s research focuses on physiological evaluation in computer games, affective computing, games for health, novel interaction techniques, game heuristics, interactive technology that fosters interpersonal relationships and Dr. Mandryk investigates novel ways of understanding how people experience interactive technology.
Dr Carl Gutwin
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Carl Gutwin is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan and is the director of the HCI lab. Dr. Gutwin’s work focuses on computer-supported cooperative work, interaction techniques, and surface computing.
Dr Lorin Elias
Supervisor in Psychology
Research Areas
Dr. Lorin Elias is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and is an Associate Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Elias’ research areas are cognitive neuroscience, cognitive evolution, spatial attention, perceptual phenomena, advertising and aesthetics, and left and right brain functionalities.
Dr Kevin Schneider
Supervisor of Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Kevin Schneider is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan and is the Director of the Software Research Lab. Dr. Schneider’s research focuses on software architecture, design, evolution, maintenance, analysis, navigation, visualization, simulation and modelling. In addition, Dr. Schneider researchers human-computer interaction, forward and reverse engineering, collaborative software teams, and domain specific languages.
Dr Kevin Stanley
Supervisor of Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Kevin Stanley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Stanley researches technology to measure, analyse, and act on sensed human behaviour. He is interested in using sensed human behaviour for ubiquitous games and exergames.
Dr Ian Stavness
Supervisor of Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Ian Stavness is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan. His research areas are biomedical computation, biometrics, computer graphics and computer simulations.
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University of Waterloo
Dr Mark Hancock
Supervisor in Management Sciences, Computer Science & System Design Engineering
Research Areas
Dr. Mark Hancock is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and is in the Department of Management Sciences. Dr. Hancock’s research focuses on human-computer interaction, collaboration, computer-supported cooperative work, multi-touch interaction, surfaces and displays, 3D interaction, narrative, and games.
Dr Lennart Nacke
Supervisor in Computer Science & Systems Design Engineering
Research Areas
Dr. Lennart Nacke is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Drama and Speech Communication and Stratford Campus. Dr. Nacke’s research focuses on gamification, games user research, health and fitness games, HCI for games, affective gaming, sound in games, and relationship-building games.
Dr Stacey Scott
Supervisor in English & Systems Design Engineering
Research Areas
Dr. Stacey Scott is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Guelph. Dr. Scott’s research area focuses on human-computer interaction and computer-supported collaboration. She specifically studies technology that enhances human interaction in face-to-face environments, such as interactive walls and tabletop systems.
Dr Neil Randall
Supervisor in English
Research Areas
Dr. Neil Randall is an Associate Professor in the English Language and Literature Department, as well as the Director of the Games Institute at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Randall’s work focuses on the relationship between board games and video games, the construction of narrative and dialogue in video games, virtual worlds, rhetoric and semiotics of human-computer interaction.
Dr Edith Law
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Edith Law is an Assistant Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Law’s research areas are human-in-the-loop systems, designing new algorithms and interactions techniques for computational problems, public health, and crowdsourcing.
Dr. Mark Hancock
Supervisor in Management Sciences, Systems Design Engineering, and Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Mark Hancock is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and is in the Department of Management Sciences. Dr. Hancock’s research focuses on human-computer interaction, collaboration, computer-supported cooperative work, multi-touch interaction, surfaces and displays, 3D interaction, narrative, and games.
Dr. Lennart Nacke
Supervisor in Computer Science & Systems Design Engineering
Research Areas
Dr. Lennart Nacke is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Drama and Speech Communication and Stratford Campus. Dr. Nacke’s research focuses on gamification, games user research, health and fitness games, HCI for games, affective gaming, and relationship-building games.
Dr. Stacey Scott
Supervisor in English & Systems Design Engineering
Research Areas
Dr. Stacey Scott is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Guelph. Dr. Scott’s research area focuses on human-computer interaction and computer supported collaboration. She specifically studies technology that enhances human interaction in face-to-face environments, such as interactive walls and tabletop systems.
Dr. Neil Randall
Supervisor in English
Research Areas
Dr. Neil Randall is an Associate Professor in the English Language and Literature Department, as well as the Director of the Games Institute at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Randall’s work focuses on the relationship between board games and video games, the construction of narrative and dialogue in video games, virtual worlds, Rhetoric and semiotics of human-computer interaction.
Dr. Edith Law
Supervisor in Computer Science
Research Areas
Dr. Edith Law is an Assistant Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Law’s research areas are human-in-the-loop systems, designing new algorithms and interactions techniques for computational problems, public health, and crowdsourcing.
When to Apply
Students should apply to the SWaGUR as soon as possible since a limited number of students will be accepted into the program. The SWaGUR program will run for the next 6 years and will accept 36 Masters students and 24 PhD students in total throughout this time period. It is important to note, to become a SWaGUR student you must also apply to or be accepted into your degree of choice through the University of Waterloo or the University of Saskatchewan.
How to Apply?
To apply to SWaGUR students should send their application directly to their supervisor(s) of choice. Students will be selected based on their past academic record and potential. Students are required to submit the following documents with their application:
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Cover Letter
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Motivation Letter
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Transcript
Students may also be required to complete an interview to be admitted into the program, depending on the supervisor they have selected. Students that have been admitted into SWaGUR will be notified by their supervisor.
Funding
The SWaGUR program will fund approximately 65% of Masters and PhD students tuition, regardless of the degree students choose. Students will receive a minimum of $23,000 for Ph.D. students and $20,500 for M.Sc. students.
The remainder of graduate students tuition can be funded by teaching assistantships and scholarships. Learn more about available funding options at your school:
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Scholarships & Awards University of Saskatchewan
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Awards & Funding at University of Waterloo