Our Lecturers

Be taught by some of New Zealand’s leading academics and creative practitioners,
as well as learning direct from industry specialists.

Programme Directors

Meet the leading academic staff of our Master programmes

Raqi Syed

Master of Design Technology

Raqi began her career in feature animation as an Assistant Technical Director for Disney Feature Animation on films such as Meet the Robinsons and later as a Lighting Artist on Tangled. She then went on to work as a Senior Technical Director with Weta Digital on films like Avatar, The Planet of the Apes films, and The Hobbit Trilogy. A full list of her film credits can be found over at IMDB. Her current XR research is supported by DevLab and the New Zealand Film Commission.

Dr Karsten Lundqvist

Master of Software Development

Karsten has over 13 years of computer science research and teaching experience, he’s passionate about exploring new tech (like artificial intelligence) to improve teaching and learning. Karsten is an avid gamer and uses game development in his research. One of his inspirations has been Lego (originating from his country of Denmark) which from an early age showed him the power of playful learning.

Dr Alexander Richter

Master of Professional Business Analysis

Alex is Professor of Information Systems at Victoria University of Wellington. Over the last 10 years, Alex was involved with more than 30 projects with leading companies and research institutes aiming to contribute to the design of digital workplaces. For example, he led the requirements analysis in the major European project “Worker-Centric Workplaces for Smart Factories” from 2014 to 2018 and facilitated industrial change projects for companies like Airbus, Allianz, Bayer, BMW and Bosch.

Dana Fridman

Master of User Experience Design

Dana has experience in digital product design, development and entrepreneurship. She completed a BA in Psychology, a Diploma in Graphic Design, and a Master in Design Innovation. Previously, Dana worked in mental health, graphic design, user experience (UX) design for the Web, native applications, and augmented reality, co-founded a GovTech product company, and developed a passion for UX design, design for health, and design for education. In her free time, she likes to make art, read academic papers, form collaborations, and co-organise local events for the UX community.

Lecturers

Meet the academic staff who teach courses in our programmes

Areito Echevarria

Master of Design Technology

Areito is an Academy Award winning visual effects artist and was Head of the FX Department at Weta Digital. He teaches Creative Coding for Digital Content (MDDN451) and Compositing and Motion Graphics (MDDN421).

Mark Stanger

Master of Design Technology

Mark is an award-winning animator with 20 years experience on ground-breaking productions at Weta Digital like Avatar, The Avengers, and The Hobbit Trilogy. He teaches Character Animation (MDDN432).

Kevin Romond

Master of Design Technology

Kevin is a supervisor at Weta Digital with 17 years experience in visual effects and his creative practice has recently revolved around VR content. He teaches Design Ideation (CCDN422).

Sunny Teich

Master of Design Technology

Sunny has years of experience in VFX working on feature films at major international studios including Disney Animation, Sony Imageworks and Weta Digital. She teaches Effects and Simulation (MDDN422).