Oliver Grau is professor for Bildwissenschaft and dean of the department for cultural studies at the Danube University Krems. He is also head of the German Science Foundation project Immersive Art, whose team built since 2000 the development of the first international Database of Virtual Art. He lectures in numerous parts of the world, has received various awards and is widely published. Recent: Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion, MIT-Press 2003 (in 4th print) and: Art and Emotions, Frankfurt: Fischer 2005. His research focuses on the history of media art, the history of immersion and emotions; and the history, idea and culture of telepresence, genetic art, and artificial intelligence. Grau is an elected member of the Young Academy of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. He is chair of Refresh! First International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology, Banff 2005. http://www.mediaarthistory.org/
http://virtualart.hu-berlin.de