Doug A. Bowman, a professor of computer science and the director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech, has reportedly joined the ranks of Apple in an unspecified role.
Bowman’s previous work concerns the fields of virtual and augmented reality, a burgeoning and hot area for tech companies.
Fortune reports that Bowman has received many awards for his work, and has been awarded millions of dollars for research in both virtual and augmented reality.
The news was first reported by The Financial Times.
Apple has been snagging up professionals in the virtual reality field, including last year’s acquirement of a key audio engineer from Microsoft’s HoloLens team. In addition, the company purchased the augmented reality startup Metaio in May 2015.
According to the Goldman Sachs Group, the virtual reality and augmented reality market could be valued at $80 billion by 2025.
Consumer response to the technological advancements will be tested with Facebook’s Oculus Rift and HTC Vive’s headset, both slated to hit stores this year.
With this move, it looks like Apple is solidifying their virtual and augmented reality team’s lineup.
