Dr Erhan Ekmekcioglu
Senior Lecturer and Chief Programme Director, Institute for Digital Technologies

Erhan is an internationally recognised and established researcher with a strong background in video technologies, human computer interaction and affective computing. He is the Chief Programme Director overseeing the operational delivery and quality assurance of all master programmes in the Institute for Digital Technologies. He is also the Programme Director for MSc Digital Innovation Management and MSc Digital Finance programmes.
For over a decade, Erhan has worked in various roles in several small and large-scale funded research projects focussing on the next generation communication networks and emerging multimedia technologies. He has also been the investigator (primary or Co-I) in several projects funded by the European Union and the British Council. He was a Co-I in the EU funded Marie Sklodowska Curie Initial Training Network CLOUDSCREEN (2013-2017) that focussed on training PhD researchers in the domain of multimedia delivery and consumption over cloud networks. Erhan was the primary investigator of the collaborative research project called AFFECTEACH (2018-2020), which was supported through the Newton Fund and developed a state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence and simulation technology based teacher training programme.
Erhan is leading several modules and teaches subjects such as media design and production, media processing, advanced 3D environments, digital media and creative industries, natural user interfaces and their applications to digital marketing.
Academic background
Erhan received a BSc (Hons) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Middle East Technical University in 2006, and a PhD degree in Multimedia Communication Technologies from the University of Surrey in 2010 with the thesis title: "Advanced Multi-view Video Coding Techniques".
Prior to his appointment at Loughborough University London, Erhan worked for University of Surrey as a post-doctoral research fellow in the I-Lab Multimedia Communication Research Group that is a part of the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (2010-2014).
Current research and collaborations
Erhan's current research programme consists of activities combining multi-sensor data processing and machine learning techniques to understand the human cognitive and emotional processes and continuously learn human behaviour through digital footprints.
The outcomes of this research programme feed into empathetical natural interfaces that can do social reasoning, and will feature in human-to-agent and human-to-robot interaction scenarios. As the interfaces become more reactive and anticipative, they will underpin truly human-centred systems, empowering humans to work and collaborate more efficiently with agents and robots.
Current PhD / research supervisions
Erhan is currently supervising a PhD project on understanding the impact of pedagogical styles in students’ creative performance in digital creative media subjects and associating several behavioural and biometric traits with it.
Ms Sui Liu, Investigation of multimodal learning analytics tools in creative and digital art subject’s education, start: Oct 2019, expected completion: Sep 2022, institution: Loughborough University London (Primary supervisor)
Ms Ruyu Yun, Investigating the Mediating Mechanism of Technological Limonoid and Proteus Effect in Shaping Consumer Psychology: An Empirical Study in Post-Covid Pandemic Retailing Context, start: Oct 2021, expected completion: Sep 2024, institution: Loughborough University London (Co-supervisor)
Ms Ijeoma Ezinwanyi Ogiemwonyi, Advertising as the third-party cookie crumbles: A theoretical investigation and validation of big data as defacto data brokers in data markets, start: Apr 2021, expected completion: Mar 2024, institution: Loughborough University London (co-supervisor)
Completed PhDs
Dr Cagri Ozcinar, Adaptive multi-view video communication techniques, start: Oct 2011, completion: May 2015, institution: University of Surrey (co-supervisor)
Dr Joao Carreira, Error resilient video communication using High Efficiency Video Coding, start: Apr 2013, completion: Dec 2017, institution: Loughborough University (co-supervisor)
Dr Pablo Carballeira López, A framework for the analysis and optimisation of delay in multi-view video coding systems, start: Oct 2008, completion: May 2014, institutions: Technical University of Madrid and University of Surrey (co-supervisor)
Completed PhD / research supervisions
Erhan has previously co-supervised successful PhD projects on error resilient HD/UHD video streaming and multi-view 3D video distribution across P2P networks.
Interests and activities
Erhan has long been regularly serving as a reviewer to several journals and international conferences including major IEEE outlets in multimedia and video technologies.
Between 2010 and 2017, Erhan was a member of the technical delegation of UK National Standards Body (IST/37: Coding of picture, audio, multimedia and hypermedia information). Between 2017 and 2019, Erhan was the chair of the 3D Processing & Communications Interest Group (3DIG) within IEEE Multimedia Communications Technical Committee.
Erhan is serving as a guest editor for the IEEE Multimedia Communications Technical Committee (MMTC) online proceedings.