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Spencer Striker

Northwestern University in Qatar

Professor of digital media design
Communication program, Northwestern University in Qatar

About

Areas of Focus

  • Generative AI in animation, film, creative production and design education
  • Learning games, interactive storytelling and digital humanities
  • Disinformation, media literacy, AI literacy and AI ethics
  • Virtual reality and immersive learning

Work/Research

  • Development and impact of interactive, narrative-driven educational technologies
  • Innovations in mobile media and app development for experiential learning
  • Exploration of storytelling techniques in video games to enhance learning experiences
  • Applied design research on the integration of AI and VR in educational content delivery

Career

Spencer Striker, PhD, is professor of digital media design in the communication program at Northwestern University in Qatar and a founding member of NU-Q's Artificial Intelligence and Media Lab (AIM-LAB). Across Northwestern, his digital learning productions have drawn support from the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, the Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO), the Center for Talent Development (CTD), the Office of the Provost and the Alumnae of Northwestern.

Working as creator, producer and design director at the intersection of interaction design, narrative-driven learning and multimodal digital media, Dr. Striker designs and produces interactive media for education in the humanities, the sciences and civic life. His current work spans four areas of production, each shaped by the generative AI pipeline he has built since 2023:

  • AI-animated cinema: creator and director of "Al-Khwarizmi: Father of Algebra & the Algorithm" (2026 QS Reimagine Education Award shortlist).
  • Learning games for STEM, media literacy and AI literacy: creator of "Chaos Corp: Troll Farm Simulator" (2025 Anthem Award, Reimagine Education Gold, and w3 Silver), "Dr. Sara: Disease Detective" (50,000+ downloads, Google Play Teacher Approved), and the AI-literacy games CLIP and 50% P(DOOM).
  • Interactive narrative history and VR: creator of "History Adventures: World of Characters," including "Empires & Interconnections" (2024 Anthem Award), "Generation Revolution," "Plague of Athens" VR and "Black Death Interactive."
  • Podcasts and multimedia journalism: creator and host of "Rendered by Robots: AI & the Future of Design Education" (2025–2026 Northwestern Alumnae Award for Curriculum Innovation) and founder of QatarPodcasts.com / Digital Doha Podcast.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Striker served as founding creative director of Galxyz Inc., the Silicon Valley learning-game startup, and founded GameZombie TV, the student-powered game media studio that won the 2010 Webby Award and People's Voice Webby for Online Film & Video. At NU-Q he developed AI tools for digital media design and teaches studio courses in AI animation, sound design, game design and vibe coding, a course in AI-assisted creative coding.