Center for Humanities in Extended Reality

Directors: Louis Hamilton, Burcak Ozludil, Margarita Vinnikov

Who We Are

The Center for Humanities in Extended Reality (CHXR) is an interdisciplinary group of researchers driven by collaboration across fields in the humanities and technology. Our work spans across spatial history, computer and information science, architecture and design, social science, and education. We develop digital tools that support analysis, interpretation, and storytelling across historical and contemporary environments. Based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), our team collaborates with partners both nationally and internationally to remain at the forefront of methods in the digital humanities. 

eXploR Digital Tool

Our current work includes the development of eXploR, a digital platform that uses Extended Reality (XR) – including Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) – as one way to analyze and interact with data. This platform places researchers and the public alike in immersive, panoramic environments rich with cultural information. By enabling users to upload their own materials, eXploR supports visualization, annotation, and comparative study across a wide range of research contexts, from cultural heritage and architecture to social interactions and urban ecology and planning.

Behind the scenes, the platform stores diverse datasets across media formats such as images, texts, 3D models, and audiovisual components. This backend framework helps transform unstructured data into a coherent analyzable format and generates an XR environment that users can experience firsthand. 

Mission

Our mission is to offer tools that empower researchers, educators, and cultural institutions to create immersive experiences reconstructing historical and cultural spaces. This work relies on close interdisciplinary collaboration and centers the humanities as a lens for understanding different environments. CHXR is equally dedicated to training the next generation of scholars, cultivating skills that span technology, history, culture, and society.

Opportunities

CHXR creates opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, scholars, and community partners to explore how digital tools can transform the study of history and culture. Through collaborative research projects, workshops, public events, and training programs, we create spaces where technological innovation meets humanistic inquiry. Our work is sustained through generous institutional and grant support.

Interested in getting involved or have questions? Check out our opportunities or contact us at chxr@njit.edu.