Rate My Professor John Quarles

John Quarles, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he joined the faculty in 2009 as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015, and advanced to full Professor. He holds a PhD and MS in Computer Engineering from the University of Florida, as well as a BA in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. Quarles directs the San Antonio Virtual Environments (SAVE) Lab, specializing in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), human-computer interaction, game design, serious games, 3D user interfaces, modeling, and simulation. His research integrates deep learning and artificial intelligence to improve VR and AR accessibility and effectiveness across domains including education, fitness, military training, medical training, and physical rehabilitation, with particular emphasis on reducing cybersickness, mitigating effects for persons with balance impairments or multiple sclerosis, and enhancing postural stability in immersive environments.

Quarles' scholarly impact is evidenced by major grants such as the NSF CAREER award for Measuring and Reducing Cybersickness in Virtual Reality Physical Rehabilitation ($537,898, 2014–2019), EAGER: Enabling Virtual Reality for Aquatic Rehabilitation ($240,000, 2016–2018), and HCC:Small: Determining the Effects of Latency on Virtual Reality Physical Rehabilitation ($472,840, 2012–2016). He has earned the 2014 UTSA President's Distinguished Achievement Award for Research Achievement, 2013 UTSA College of Sciences Certificate of Excellence, and earlier honors including the Link Foundation Fellowship (2009) and prizes at conferences like the American Society of Anesthesiologists (2008). Key publications include "Head Tracking Latency in Virtual Environments Revisited: Do users with Multiple Sclerosis notice latency less?" (IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2016), "The effects of cybersickness on persons with multiple sclerosis" (ACM VRST, 2016), "Mobility Impaired Users Respond Differently than Healthy Users in Virtual Environments" (Journal of Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds, 2015), "Visual feedback to improve the accessibility of head-mounted displays for persons with balance impairments" (IEEE 3DUI, 2016), and "Experiences in Mixed Reality-Based Collocated After Action Review" (Springer, 2013). Quarles teaches courses in user interfaces, usability, and computer graphics, contributing to advancements in inclusive immersive technologies.