Francisco Macía Varela

XR Developer | Technical Artist | Researcher

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

About

I’m an XR developer with 7+ years of experience working across industry, research, and digital art, specializing in real-time interactive systems using Unity and Unreal. My work sits at the intersection of technology, creativity, and research. I’ve developed applications ranging from VR psychological research experiences and AR interaction systems to serious games, multi-user VR environments, and interactive installations. I’m particularly experienced in C# and Python development, technical art, interactive design, and 3D optimization, with strong expertise in Blender and real-time rendering workflows. I’m especially interested in projects that explore: • Human-computer interaction in XR • Experimental VR/AR and perception • Serious games and applied immersive tech • Interactive installations and digital art

Experience

  • Unity/AR Developer at Universitat Pompeu Fabra
    Jan 2025 - Present · 1 yr 7 mos

    Unity Developer for AR Games for psychological research at Full-Body Interaction Lab

  • Digital Twin Developer at DigitalTwin Technology GmbH
    Nov 2024 - Apr 2026 · 1 yr 6 mos

    Unity, Unreal and Python developer for several Horizon Europe projects, including: ENERGENIUS MASTERMINE SCENE OPTIMINER

  • Senior XR Unity Engineer at EMIL-XR
    Jun 2023 - Nov 2024 · 1 yr 6 mos

    Lead Unity Developer for the European Media and Immersion Lab's project AR Magic Lantern, an experimental projective AR device.

  • Unity Developer & Technical Artist at XRHealth
    Oct 2022 - Jun 2023 · 9 mos

    Developing VR applications for psychological therapy.

  • VR Unity Developer/Researcher at Universitat de Barcelona
    Nov 2020 - Oct 2022 · 2 yrs

    Part of Mel Slater's EVENT Lab (Experimental Virtual Environments for Neuroscience and Technology), developing VR apps for neuropsychological research.