Dr. Brown is a researcher in human computer interaction and games for learning. He has over 15 years of experience in gamification, virtual reality, and user evaluation and has published over a dozen papers on these topics. His interests center on developing new technologies that aid in sensemaking -- empowering users to make sense of complex data sets and understand the correlations within them. He has considerable experience in the usability engineering lifecycle, including requirements analysis, prototyping, and testing.

Brown holds a PhD in Computer Science and he has worked in the gaming industry. He completed a curriculum in entrepreneurship through the University of Arizona's highly ranked McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship. Subsequently he launched a startup, Desert Saber, LLC, in collaboration with Tech Launch Arizona using intellectual properties from his dissertation.

During his academic career, Dr. Brown has served as key personnel to procure and execute more than $10 million in competitive research grants and awards, working with researchers from multiple schools and departments within the University of Arizona. He has been co-investigator for the Western Mining Safety and Health Training Resource Center for the last three years, where he leads a team of researchers to develop new training methodologies for health and safety

At the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Dr. Brown investigates technology-assisted training and evaluation to improve health and safety outcomes in the mining industry. In cooperation with the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources, his team has created innovative serious games that address key issues in training for hazards recognition, situational awareness, and emergency response. To date, dozens of mining companies nationwide have used these games in their training programs, reaching thousands of mine workers. Dr. Brown also teaches courses on related topics for the University of Arizona's School of Information.

Western Mining Safety and Health Training Resource Center