Greetings! I’m Marios Bikos, an ardent explorer in the realms of Game Development & Spatial Computing.
My academic journey led me through the halls of University College London, where I earned an MSc with Distinction in Computer Graphics, Vision & Imaging, complemented by a Diploma in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Patras, Greece.
Currently, I’m serving as a Staff Software Engineer at Existent, where my mission revolves around simplifying the creation process for XR applications. Here, I delve deep into the intricacies of spatial computing, striving to empower developers to weave immersive experiences effortlessly. Before embarking on this journey, I contributed my expertise as a Senior Unreal SDK Technical Engineer at Bytedance (PICO XR Team). Within this role, I played a pivotal part in equipping developers with the tools and knowledge to craft engaging XR Games tailored for PICO headsets. This experience not only sharpened my technical acumen but also nurtured my knack for problem-solving in the XR domain.
Prior to my tenure at Bytedance, I ventured into the captivating world of gameplay engineering as an Associate Lead Gameplay Engineer at Sharkmob, a Tencent-owned studio. Here, I immersed myself in the development of Exoborne, an adrenaline-pumping tactical open-world extraction shooter fueled by Unreal Engine 5. Through this endeavor, I gleaned invaluable insights into game mechanics and player interaction, honing my skills as a versatile engineer. My journey in the XR landscape doesn’t end there. As a Developer Relation Engineer for HTC Vive, I served as a conduit between Vive Engineering and EMEA customers and VR developers. This role allowed me to champion the VIVE technology stack while fostering collaborations within the VR community, ultimately propelling the adoption of high-quality VR content across various verticals.
I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with Academy Award-winning creatives at Framestore, where I contributed to the development of Virtual Production tools and interactive XR experiences. From crafting immersive Hyper Reality Test Drives for VW China to bringing the magical world of Fantastic Beasts to life in Warner Bros’ AR Experience, my tenure at Framestore was marked by creativity and innovation. At Electric Square, I served as a Games Programmer for Forza Street, contributing to the development of a globally enjoyed racing game. This experience sharpened my skills in game development and fueled my passion for creating immersive entertainment experiences.
In addition to my professional endeavors, I’ve garnered recognition for my contributions to the tech community. As an IEEE volunteer, I’ve organized technical events and received accolades such as the 2013 Richard E.Merwin Student Scholarship and the 2012 Regional Exemplary Student Branch Award. Notably, my leadership in organizing Greece’s inaugural Games Expo earned the prestigious 2013 Gold Darrel Chong Student Activity Award by IEEE.
Join me as we delve into exciting projects, from pioneering VR simulations to crafting interactive AR experiences, and let’s connect to dig deeper into the boundless possibilities of XR technology.
Staff Software Engineer
Existent
SDK Technical Engineer
PICO XR (ByteDance/TikTok)
Associate Lead Gameplay Engineer
Sharkmob
Senior Gameplay Engineer
Sharkmob
Developer Relations Engineer
HTC VIVE
VR Developer
Framestore
Programmer
Electric Square
Research Intern
Technical University of Munich
Computer Graphics Vision & Imaging
University College London (UCL)
Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Patras, Greece
European BEST Engineering Competition (EBEC) is the largest real-time based engineering competition, which challenges competitors, who are winners from competitions all over Europe, by presenting them with engineering problems that can be addressed in many ways.
►Placed 1st/15 teams in GGJ Athens & Patras Voting Contest.
This scholarship was created in honor of the late Richard E. Merwin, past president of the IEEE Computer Society, to recognize and reward student leadership.