Staff Profile
Warren Fearn
Associate Professor in Design
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I am an Associate Professor and Postgraduate Lead in Design and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I teach on the Graphic Design programme and co-lead the York Virtual and Augmented Reality Research Group.
I began my career at Alias Wavefront, learning 3D digital modelling and animation. I moved to become a virtual set designer at the London BBC VR studios department, working on developing 350-degree virtual environments for television such as Match of the Day, Olympics, Harry Potter, Bamzooki. I transferred into the BBC 3DFX department, working on 3D graphics for post-production – CBeebies, National Geographic Channel, Horizon, Saudi Aramco, claiming several Promax awards and nominated for an Emmy Award at the New York Festival.
I freelanced on other commercial projects for companies such as WWF, SKY, DHL, NHS, etc. I continued my work through educational initiatives using stereoscopic technologies, serving as a member of the Autodesk Secondary School Education Advisory Board, and developing curriculum for NCFE and NOCN for digital outreach projects.
I specialise in service design as a methodology and focus on using augmented reality in primary schools to support science learning. I currently serve on the external advisory board for DML (Digital Media Lab) at Imperial College and the executive committee for TPEA (Technology, Pedagogy and Education Association).
- School – School of the Arts
- Email – w.fearn@yorksj.ac.uk
- Phone – 01904 876 718
- Research - View my work in RaY
Further information
Teaching
I teach the following courses:
- BA Graphic Design
- MA Virtual and Augmented Reality
- MSc Product Design
- MA Animation
- MA Interior Design
- MA Graphic Design
PG Supervision
I teach modules on design thinking, circular economy, the fourth revolution, and service and system design, which follow a process of research, development, and implementation. I have also served as Head of Programme, Subject Director, Course Leader, and Postgraduate Coordinator for Design.
I have supervised numerous PG students on their dissertations and practical-based projects in community, sustainability, artificial intelligence, social justice, education, and more.
I have served as an external examiner at Anglian Ruskin University (Game Art & Development), Teesside University (Product/Graphics), Regent University (Graphics), and currently examine at UAL University (MA Virtual Reality & BA Immersive Media and Mixed Reality) and Sheffield Hallam University (Media Production)
I have supported other institutions in their curriculum development - Regents University (Graphics), UCLAN University (Graphics), Derby University (Product/Interiors), and Guangdong Industry Polytechnic, China (Product Art Design).
Research
I co-established the York Research Unit for Virtual and Augmented Reality and have presented on this aspect of my work at various conferences. I work with my colleague Andrew Byrom, collaborating with external industry partnerships and other academic institutions. Our first conference (2023) examined the virtual imperative of XR technologies, inviting guest speakers from META, IBM, Cinesite, and other leading figures to discuss the subject.
I received an Unreal Mega Grant to fund research on augmented reality in primary education (www.epic-science.com).I am researching a service design approach and have published internationally. I have written articles for the Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology, Twinkl Publishing, and Teaching Times. I published a journal (2023) on the barriers and opportunities for school AR adoption. I wrote a chapter on how primary schools may wish to use AR technologies in teaching and learning (2024). I collaborate with educators, programmers, artists, designers, and audio technicians from a holistic and co-creation perspective. I was shortlisted for a research project at the Educate North Awards (2025) for Digital Innovation and Education. I have presented at various conferences on service design methodologies and the impact of augmented reality in primary education and spoken i supervise MA and MSc students in XR technologies and peer-review academic and funding submissions.
Publications
Publications
Fearn, Warren, and Hook, Jonathan (2024). Augmented reality (AR) – innovative uses in primary education. In: Leask, Marilyn and Younie, Sarah, (eds.) Teaching and Learning with Technologies in the Primary School. 3rd ed. Routledge
Fearn, Warren, and Hook, Jonathan (2023) A Service Design Thinking Approach: What are the barriers and opportunities of using Augmented Reality for Primary Science Education? Journal of Technology and Science Education, 13 (1). pp. 329-351.
Journals
Fearn, Warren, and Bloom, Katy (2024). Exploring the Epic Impact of Augmented Reality in Primary Science Education. Warren Fearn and Katy Bloom. Technology, Pedagogy and Education Association.
Fearn, Warren , and Hook, Jonathan (2023) A Service Design Thinking Approach: What are the barriers and opportunities of using Augmented Reality for Primary Science Education? YHIoT Journal (1).
Bloom, Katy, and Fearn, Warren (2024). The Epic Impact of Augmented Reality In Primary Science. Teaching times.
Presentations
Fearn, Warren (2024) . Should Primary Schools be adopting XR Technologies? TEDxDoncaster. TED X Talk
Fearn, Warren (2024) How can augmented reality help to bridge the gap between classroom and remote learning? In: Pint of Science, 13 May 2024.
Fearn, Warren (2024) A Service Design Approach: What are the barriers and opportunities to using augmented reality in primary science education? In: Animex Research and Innovation Conference 2024, 13 November 2024, Teesside University.
Fearn, Warren (2024). What is Epic Science? BBC Sounds
Fearn, Warren (2024). How can AR foster participation? That’s York TV.
Fearn, Warren (2023) A Service Design Approach: What are the barriers and opportunities of using Augmented Reality for primary science education? In: TPEA 35th Annual Conference (3rd – 4th July 2023), 3rd - 4th July 2023, Bedford.
Fearn, Warren (2023) Using augmented reality to teach primary sciences, Northern Digital Storytelling Festival. In: Northern Digital Storytelling Festival, 27 March 2023, Online.
Fearn, Warren (2022) What are the barriers and opportunities of using Augmented Reality for Primary Science Education? In: Backstage Academy Symposium, 23rd September 2022, South Kirby, West Yorkshire, UK.
Fearn, Warren (2022) Blurring the lines: Augmenting educational experiences for a hybrid environment. In: YORK DESIGN WEEK: Blurring the lines, 15th October 2022, SPARK venue, York.
Fearn, Warren (2022) THE METAVERSE - Where are we heading? In: THE METAVERSE - WHERE IS IT HEADING? ONLINE (UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD).
Fearn, Warren (2021) Using a service design approach towards creating effective augmented reality learning platforms. In: Talking About Teaching for Social Justice 2021, 6th July 2021, York St John University.
Fearn, Warren (2020) Immersive Experiences in Education and Training. In: Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology: Immersive Experiences in Education and Training, 16 Dec 2020, online.
Fearn, Warren (2019) How can Augmented Reality have an impact on Chemistry Education? In: UP North, Regional Learning & Teaching Conference, 07 June 2019,
Fearn, Warren (2017) York Festival of Ideas: Designers of the Future: Using Augmented Reality.
Fearn, Warren (2016) The Future of Furniture in Higher Education. In: The Future of Furniture in Higher Education, Tent Design, London.
Fearn, Warren (2009) Bridging the gap between industry and education skills for 3D computer animation. In: Bridging the gap between industry and education skills for 3D graphics, 03 July 2009, Showcomotion, Sheffield.
Professional activities
I have provided lectures and digital workshops for several external partners and hosted events, public talks, and Q&As.
I have been a member of the Autodesk Secondary Education Advisory Board. I currently serve on the external advisory board for DML (Digital Media Lab) at Imperial College and the executive board for TPEA (Technology, Pedagogy and Education Association).
I continue to work with externally funded partnerships to help develop XR technologies, and am available to discuss collaborative initiatives.
