Matthew Nolan

Matt Nolan is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where he teaches in the interdisciplinary Immersive Media Design program. His work sits at the intersection of computing, creative practice, interactive systems, and higher education. Across his academic career, he has taught more than 2,200 students and has developed a teaching practice centered on experiential learning, creative computation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of technical systems as tools for inquiry and expression.

His current teaching focuses on creative coding, immersive and interactive media, and senior capstone development. His teaching philosophy emphasizes helping students understand how computational systems work rather than simply learning individual software packages or programming languages. He is particularly interested in approaches that connect programming fundamentals to visual, sonic, and interactive outcomes, allowing students to develop computational thinking through experimentation, prototyping, reverse engineering, and iterative project development. His curriculum work also explores how programming, design, and emerging technologies can be better integrated across interdisciplinary degree programs and how student projects can develop continuously across courses rather than beginning again each semester.

Nolan's research interests include creative computation, interactive systems, computational visualization, artificial intelligence, autonomous and agent-based systems, game and immersive media, and the design of learning environments for interdisciplinary technology education. His recent work investigates how algorithmic systems can be made visible and explorable through interactive models, with particular interest in emergence, allocation, adaptation, coupled systems, and collective behavior. He is also interested in student-led development models, especially projects in which students collaborate with faculty, researchers, and external partners to translate complex ideas into interactive experiences.

Before joining the University of Maryland faculty in 2025, Nolan taught in George Mason University's Game Design program from 2010 to 2025, where he served as an Assistant Professor of Game Sound and Music and contributed to the development of the program from its early years. He was also the founding instructor of an after-school and summer technology program that later developed into the Mason Game and Technology Academy.

Nolan remains active in interdisciplinary higher education nationally. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), chairs the a2ru Academic Metrics Working Group, and serves on the editorial board of Ground Works. His service and scholarship include particular interest in how interdisciplinary, arts-integrative, and computational work is recognized and assessed within research universities.

His broader creative and technical practice includes programming for visualization and interactivity, game audio, digital sound design, music composition, real-time media systems, alternate controllers, participatory experiences, and interactive installation. This background continues to inform his approach to computing education by treating code not only as an engineering tool, but also as a medium for experimentation, communication, and creative research.

Nolan holds an MFA in Visual Art from George Mason University, an MM in Music Composition from George Mason University, and a BM in Music Synthesis from Berklee College of Music.