Dr. Matthew Schmidt is an associate professor at the University of Georgia in the Learning, Design, and Technology Program. Dr. Schmidt is an educational researcher and developer of advanced, technology-based learning interventions. A highly-cited scholar, he has published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings and has presented his work at a numerous  local, national, and international conferences. As an applied researcher in the field of educational technology and instructional design, his work focuses on the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative learning interventions, educational courseware, and computer software for individuals with life-long disabilities and medical conditions, as well as their families and caregivers (e.g., autism, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, diabetes).

An award-winning researcher and developer, Schmidt’s research is located at the intersection of immersive learning, advanced learning technologies, and learning experience design. In the design and evaluation of advanced learning technologies and immersive learning interventions, Dr. Schmidt utilizes methods and processes of learning experience design, an emerging focus area in the field of learning design and technology. Dr. Schmidt actively pursues a research agenda around this phenomenon, having written extensively and given a number of national and international presentations on the topic.

Dr. Schmidt’s research has been recognized with multiple awards and accolades, and is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), and the University of Florida Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. His research publications have appeared in top-tier journals such as Educational Technology Research & Development and the International Journal of Human Computer Interaction. Dr. Schmidt was also editor-in-chief of a recent open-access edited volume Learner and User Experience Research: An Introduction for the Field of Learning Design & Technology. He is a co-editor and co-coordinator of the annual AECT Summer Research Symposium. He also serves as a reviewer for a number of journals in the field of educational technology and instructional design. Dr. Schmidt regularly attends and presents at the Association for Educational and Communications Technology (AECT) and the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN). Dr. Schmidt has served as a board member of the Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii (ATRC) and is current president of of the Design and Development Division within AECT.