Visiting Lecturer Series – Dr. Naimul Khan

Towards Virtual Reality-based Therapy and Training using Machine Intelligence

Lecture Takeaways

The main takeaways are as follows:

• VR headsets transform therapy into safe, lifelike environments, allowing clients to practice coping skills independently and reducing clinic wait times.
• Wearable sensors and AI detect stress levels in real time, adjusting VR environments instantly to provide personalized support as needed.
• Early results demonstrate that VR technology benefits autistic children, refugee youth, and first responders by enhancing their real-world skills and confidence.

Biography

Dr. Naimul Khan is an associate professor and Researcher in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University with a cross-appointment at the Creative School (Digital Media). He is the director of the TMU Multimedia Research Laboratory. His interdisciplinary work spans artificial intelligence, physiological signal processing, and immersive technologies, with applications in health, accessibility, and human-computer interaction. He leads projects that integrate multimodal data (such as EEG, ECG, and video) with machine learning to develop real-time, personalized systems for emotion recognition, digital mental health, and therapeutic VR. 

Dr. Khan collaborates with hospitals, private sector partners, and academic institutions across Canada, contributing to initiatives like AI-assisted mental health triage and therapeutic digital experiences. He is actively involved in training the next generation of researchers through graduate supervision, cross-sector internships, and major funding programs such as NSERC, SSHRC, and NFRF.

No sign-up is required. For more information, contact the iBEST coordinator at ibest@torontomu.ca.