Christof Lutteroth is a senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Auckland. His main field of research is in human-computer interaction. He is currently working on user-interface technology, eye-gaze interaction and exergaming.

Doing a PhD at the University of Auckland gave Christof the opportunity to develop his innovation skills, engage with the international research community, and also share his knowledge with others. He says that his career path so far has been incredibly fulfilling.

“As a researcher I really enjoy exploring new ideas. But how can we take a good idea and make a difference in the world? “ Christof explains that some research projects produce technologies “that are so promising, my colleagues and I just had to try and turn them into products many people could benefit from.”

One of these projects led to the development of Actigaze, a technology which enables those who can’t easily use a mouse or touchpad to interact with computers.

Actigaze works out where on a screen the user is looking, allowing the eyes to click and scroll a page instead of using hands to operate a mouse or touchpad. The breakthrough with Actigaze was in the technology delivering speed and accuracy which comes close to that of a mouse.

Christof says that his entrepreneurial mindset has enabled him to “to see the bigger picture and work on impact beyond my research lab.” Having an entrepreneurial mindset has helped him to grow as a person as well as in his academic career, as the real-world impact of research is increasingly valued by universities and governments.

“I was always fascinated by problem solving, experimenting with ideas and developing my own solutions.”

Christof Lutteroth graduated from the University of Auckland with a Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science.