Josh Fisher

Associate Professor in School of Journalism and Strategic Communication

Phone:765-285-8901

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Room:AJ 387

About Josh Fisher

Dr. Joshua A. Fisher is an Associate Professor of Emerging Media Design and Development and and XR innovator bridging industry and academia. His expertise lies in applies AI, interactive narrative, and XR design, demonstrated through over 40 peer-reviewed publications and leadership in connecting academic research with industry development. Dr. Fisher creates impactful emerging media experiences, focusing on the ethical and inclusive design of augmented, mixed, and virtual reality.

Since joining Ball State University in 2022, Dr. Fisher has served as the co-chair for the XR Certificate Program and Chair of the Inclusive Excellence Committee for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication. He runs an XR storytelling and usability lab for the College of Communication, Information, and Media, where he translates research into practical applications. 

Dr. Fisher maintains an active industry practice as the Principal Digital Director at Pageless Studios, where he manages agile teams to deliver XR experiences. Previously, ran the start-up Appoet Inc. after a successful Kickstart campaign. His recent commercial work includes developing VR training software for utility companies, as well as augmented reality applications for clients such as USAA and Essence Magazine.

Dr. Fisher serves as the Managing Editor for the Journal for Interactive Narrative Research as is a board member of the Association for Research in Digital Interactive Narratives. He is also an Expert Reviewer for XR for the European Union's Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST). You can find his research profile here.

Education

• Ph.D. in Digital Media, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019
• M.A. in Writing and Publishing, DePaul University, 2015
• B.A. in English Studies and Political Science, Illinois State University, 2009

Selected Academic Publications

• Fisher, J. A. (2025), What We Talk About When We Talk About Insights from Interactive Digital Narratives. International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling. Springer.
• Fisher, J. A., & Rochaix, F. (2024). The Clarkston AR gateways project: Anchoring refugee presence and narratives in a small town. With or without permission: Site-specific augmented reality for social justice—CHI Workshop.
• Fisher, J.A. (2023), Centering the Human: Digital Humanism and the Practice of Using Generative AI in the Authoring of Interactive Digital Narratives, International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling
• Fisher, J.A. (2022) Epistemic Rhetoric in Virtual Reality Factual Interactive Digital Narratives, Frontiers of Virtual Reality
• Fisher, J.A., Janice Samuels (2021) A Proposed Curriculum for an Introductory Course on Interactive Digital Narrative in Virtual Reality, International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling
• Fisher, J.A. (2021) Augmented and Mixed Reality for Communities, CRC Press
• Fisher, J.A., Jay Bolter (2018) Ethical Considerations for AR Experiences at Dark Tourism Sites, International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality

Honors and Grants

Dr. Fisher's work has been consistently recognized for excellence in research and teaching. He is a two-time recipient of the Marilyn Weaver Faculty Fellowship at Ball State University (2022, 2025) and received the College of Communication, Information, and Media's High Technology Recognition in 2023.

His research awards include the Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS) in 2021, 2024, and 2025.