Daniel Martín Serrano, a young researcher at the Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A) and lecturer at the University of Zaragoza, has been awarded an honourable mention in the “Best Dissertation Award 2026”, presented by the IEEE VGTC, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious scientific and technological organisations, in fields such as data visualisation, computer graphics, and virtual and augmented reality.
Daniel Martín, from the Graphics & Imaging Lab research group, received this award during the IEEE VR 2026 conference, held in Daegu, one of the world’s most important scientific gatherings in the field of virtual reality and 3D interfaces.
The Best Dissertation Awards are presented annually to recognise the best doctoral theses defended in recent years in the field of virtual reality, in a highly competitive process involving dozens of researchers from around the world.
Daniel Martin, who obtained his PhD in 2024 from the University of Zaragoza, where he is a lecturer, has been awarded an Honourable Mention in the VGTC Prize for the Best Doctoral Thesis in Virtual Reality 2026, entitled “Computational Models of Visual Attention and Gaze Behaviour in Virtual Reality”, which he completed under the supervision of Professor and Researcher Belén Masiá and Professor and Researcher Diego Gutiérrez.
His research focuses on extended reality and covers topics such as the understanding and modelling of visual attention, multimodality, content generation and perceptual manipulations, approached from an ecologically valid and user-centred perspective.
It addresses two main issues in virtual reality. Firstly, it presents several computational models of visual attention and gaze behaviour in immersive environments. Secondly, it examines various perceptual manipulations, such as change blindness and motion manipulation. Ultimately, the thesis offers insights into a better understanding of human attention and perception, which must always form the cornerstone of the development of new XR technologies.
This honourable mention places his work among the most outstanding at an international level and cements his contribution as one of the most significant within his field of research at the University of Zaragoza.
“It is incredibly exciting and rewarding to receive an award of this calibre. Behind it lie many years of hard work and dedication, both on my part and on the part of everyone who has accompanied me on this journey, including my entire team. And, more importantly, it puts our group in the spotlight and gives us significant international exposure, which is wonderful both for us and for all the young researchers who will follow in our footsteps. I look forward to the new adventures we will embark on as a group,” says Daniel Martín.
It is important to emphasise that this recognition brings added value to both I3A Unizar and its research group, as it strengthens their position as a leading authority in the field of virtual reality. 
This award comes on top of the one won in 2024 by another young researcher from the Graphics & Imaging Lab, Ana Serrano – the Significant New Researcher Award from the same scientific society – making her group and the University of Zaragoza the first to have received both IEEE VGTC awards in this field.
About the IEEE VGTC
The IEEE VGTC is part of the IEEE, the world’s largest professional technical organisation. This community brings together specialists in visualisation, computer graphics and virtual reality, and organises some of the most influential conferences and awards in these fields.
Further information
Conference: https://ieeevr.org/2026/
Awards: https://tc.computer.org/vgtc/award-criteria/#dissertation
