UCF Professor Wins Top IEEE Honor for Three Decades of Immersive Tech Work

Gregory Welch, a Pegasus Professor at the University of Central Florida, is a named inventor on 31 patents. He received the 2026 Career Impact Award at the 25th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality, known as ISMAR. The symposium gathers researchers and practitioners focused on extended reality technologies.

Welch serves as the AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation at UCF’s College of Nursing. He also co-directs the Synthetic Reality Lab at UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training. The award recognizes his long-term contributions to the field over more than 30 years.

“This award is especially meaningful to be recognized by a community I have been a part of for decades,” Welch said. “It is also fulfilling to know that all of my efforts, the leadership, service, research and education, not only have been noticed by my peers, but have been judged to have had a long-term impact.”

His research spans virtual and augmented reality, motion tracking, and human-computer interaction. He has authored more than 200 publications. A key part of his career is a 1998 paper on spatial augmented reality that he co-developed. That work earned the ISMAR Long Lasting Impact Paper Award nearly 20 years later.

The 1998 research used mathematical equations to adjust projected imagery so it appears realistic on complex surfaces. This work helped advance projection mapping. The technology is used in light shows at Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom.

“That work is still something I’m deeply proud of, it was something that came together as a result of a lot of work with a lot of different people. It’s rewarding to see it now used all over the world,” Welch said.

Welch’s inventions include a physical-virtual patient simulator and a smart wound simulator. He also holds patents for sterile field detection mechanisms and directional electrodes for deep brain stimulation. Two new patents issued this year build on his record of innovation, helping place UCF among the top 20 U.S. public universities for utility patents granted.

One new invention generates spatially explicit auditory cues. These sounds convey direction, distance, and height through devices like AR/VR headsets or vehicle speakers. Applications include helping military personnel track squad members, improving vehicle navigation, and making emergency vehicle sirens easier for drivers to perceive.

The most recent patent addresses a gap in home automation. It allows a home automation controller to verify if a command actually changed a device’s state. For example, a camera on another device can determine if a light is illuminating. Home security cameras can confirm if a sprinkler system worked properly. This helps homeowners detect issues like a burned-out bulb or a broken sprinkler head.

Welch leads the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator, a platform funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The project aims to transform research using immersive technologies. He has served in numerous board roles in IEEE communities and shared his expertise through more than 100 presentations and workshops worldwide.

His career honors include recognition as an IEEE fellow and a National Academy of Inventors fellow. He received the IEEE Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award in 2018. He received the IEEE Virtual Reality Service Award earlier this year.

“My career, in this industry and in academia, is driven by a passion to help others, that’s what continues to energize me every day in my work to advance immersive technologies, create solutions and support the next generation of researchers who will make the next discoveries,” Welch said.