Dr Mu Mu
Dr Mu Mu

Dr Mu Mu

Professor of Human-Centred Data Intelligence at The University of Northampton

I am the course lead of the university’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Science course, ranked 3rd in the UK in the 2026 National Student Survey. My research covers human-centred design, intelligent networks, machine learning and immersive media, with innovation projects in digital health and data-driven service optimisation. I am Associate Editor of Springer Multimedia Systems.

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Current projects

Wave

A preventative VR therapeutic intervention for youth at risk (PI).

InnerVoice

VR training for drug and alcohol addiction recovery, funded by Innovate UK (PI).

Automated VR EMDR therapy

Clinically trialled VR-based EMDR treatment for phobia and trauma (PI).

AI dolphins

Playing with AI dolphins: an interactive VR therapy (PI).

tDCS for depression

Data analysis for Flow Neuroscience / NHS home-based tDCS depression treatment (PI).

Metaverse Lab

Social XR for innovative mental healthcare, education and training (Co-PI).
Past projects
  • Next-Gen Warehousing: AI-powered solutions for labour and inventory management (Co-I)
  • Advancing machine discernment of linguistic cues: a stylometric approach to AI-synthesised text detection (Co-I)
  • Automated mental health treatment using VR and AI (PI)
  • Feasibility study of an innovative VR psychotherapy (PI)
  • An integrated information system for data management and visualisation (PI)
  • Product detection in movies and TV shows using machine learning (PI)
  • EPSRC Software Defined Cognitive Networking: intelligent resource provisioning for future networks (PI)

Recent writing

  • 14 December 2025 Wave: A Preventative Virtual Reality Therapeutic Intervention for Youth At Risk

    The provision of education for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is currently facing systemic challenges. In some local areas, the gap between strategic ambition and lived reality is stark, evidenced by nearly 7,000 school suspensions in one academic year. This crisi...
  • 14 December 2025 InnerVoice – VR training for addiction recovery

    We are funded by Innovate UK and West Northamptonshire Council to pilot a new VR training tool for addiction recovery. Many parts of the UK face a worsening drug and alcohol addiction crisis, with rising deaths and hospital admissions. Alcohol-related deaths tripled and drug-related deaths double...
  • 29 May 2025 New clinical trial shows clinical effectiveness of VR-based Therapy for trauma

    Following a feasibility and safety study with 5 participants over 25 sessions [1], we completed a clinical trial of VR EMDR specific phobias treatment with 17 participants (85 treatment sessions over 5 days) [2]. The completion of the trial is such an outstanding achievement of the team and the v...
  • 27 May 2025 From Fear to Freedom: How Northampton’s VR Therapy Can Help Unlock Lives

    I will be doing a talk and hosting a demo booth at Merged Futures 7. Life shouldn’t be limited by fear. Yet, for many, intense phobias – whether a paralysing fear of air travel that restricts careers and holidays, a dread of needles that compromises essential medical care, or a fear of insects th...
  • 23 November 2024 VR Dolphin Experience

    The original article was written by David Nicholls and posted at https://www.northampton.ac.uk/research-blogs/dolphin-experience-vr/ Dr Mu Mu, Andy Debus, and David Nicholls have been working on a prototype for VR Therapies based in Northampton to help relieve anxieties in patients. “The NHS is u...
  • 28 June 2024 Video demo: VR EMDR therapy and Swimming with Dolphin therapy

All posts →

Selected publications

  1. Mu, M., Chan, O., Debus, A., Dohan, M., Nicholls, D., Wallang, P., and Breen, K., “Automating EMDR-based Mental Health Treatment in Virtual Reality” Virtual Reality 2025
  2. Mu, M., Banazadeh, A., Cauchi, M. and Griffiths, C., “Real-World Effectiveness of Self-Administered Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Depression” Journal article 2025
  3. Dohan, M., Mu, M., Ajit, S. et al., “Real-walk modelling: deep learning model for user mobility in virtual reality” Multimedia Systems 2024

All publications →

I accept PhD candidates interested in applied artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, virtual reality or related areas. Get in touch if you would like to discuss a proposal.

Charities I support

Please consider joining me in supporting Children’s Heart Association, Alder Hey Children’s Charity and Samaritans.