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Welcome to my Personal Website!

Greetings! I’m Marios Bikos, a Senior Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience in immersive technologies (C++ & Unreal Engine). I am passionate about building teams, advancing immersive technology, and creating engaging experiences. Currently, I am seeking opportunities in software engineering management, Unreal engineering, or developer advocacy roles.

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.

In my most recent role, I served as a Staff Software Engineer at a small startup company called Existent, where my mission revolved around simplifying the creation process for XR applications through the use of an Unreal Engine Plugin. Before embarking on this journey, I contributed my expertise as a Senior Unreal SDK Technical Engineer at Bytedance (PICO XR Team). 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 enhanced my technical expertise but also nurtured my knack for problem-solving, demonstrating flexibility in working with game studios of all sizes and experience levels.

Before 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, a AAA multiplayer 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. As a Developer Relation Engineer for HTC Vive, I served as a liaison between the Vive R&D Team and EMEA developers. This role allowed me to champion the VIVE technology stack while fostering collaborations within the developer community and establishing trusted relationships with partners.

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 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.

Check out some of the exciting projects I had the chance to work on, from pioneering VR simulations to interactive experiences, and let’s connect to dig deeper into the boundless possibilities of technology.

Experience

  • Mar 2024 Aug 2024

    Staff Software Engineer

    Existent

  • Nov 2022 Feb 2024

    SDK Technical Engineer

    PICO XR (ByteDance/TikTok)

  • May 2022 Nov 2022

    Associate Lead Gameplay Engineer

    Sharkmob

  • May 2021 May 2022

    Senior Gameplay Engineer

    Sharkmob

  • Nov 2019 Apr 2021

    Developer Relations Engineer

    HTC VIVE

  • May 2018 Nov 2019

    VR Developer

    Framestore

  • Sep 2016 May 2018

    Programmer

    Electric Square

  • Mar 2015 Jun 2015

    Research Intern

    Technical University of Munich

Education

  • MSc 2016

    Computer Graphics Vision & Imaging

    University College London (UCL)

  • Integrated MEng 2015

    Electrical & Computer Engineering

    University of Patras, Greece

Achievements

  • Jan 2017
    Grand Prize Winner- Polycount & Unity Connect Contest
    My Unity Project ``VR for the Study of Moral Dilemmas Involving Driverless Cars`` was the Grand Prize winner of the Unity Connect contest out of 112 projects. I received an HTC Vive and toolkits at an estimated total Prize Value of US$2899.00.
  • Oct 2014
    Winner of TechCrunch Disrupt App Ideas Contest by Meta
    My Augmented Reality App Idea was selected to be one of 10 out of hundreds to receive Meta Glasses and an invitation to a Meta Pioneers Workshop in Berlin.During this workshop, I became familiar with the Meta SDK and built an AR Application using Meta Glasses.
  • Aug 2014
    6th Place - European BEST Engineering Competition (Case Study)
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    3 rounds:
    ► Local-Patras: 1st place
    ► PanHellenic-Greece: 1st place
    ► European: 6th place / 14 teams (final ranking), 1st place(Day 2), 2nd Place(Day 1)

    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.

  • Mar 2014
    People's Choice Award - Global Game Jam Athens & Patras
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    The Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world's largest game jam event taking place around the world at physical locations. Think of it as a hackathon focused on game development.

    ►Placed 1st/15 teams in GGJ Athens & Patras Voting Contest.

  • Dec 2013
    IEEE Computer Society Richard E. Merwin Student Scholarship
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    ``For demonstrating outstanding involvement in an IEEE Computer Society Student Chapter, excellence in academic achievement, and promise in future efforts``

    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.

  • Sep 2013
    The Darrel Chong Student Activity Award - Gold
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    This award was created to change the mindset of IEEE student groups from being number-driven to becoming value-driven and to acknowledge exemplary student activities around the world. The goal is to improve the quality of activities and to foster knowledge sharing among students.
  • Jul 2013
    IEEE Regional Exemplary Student Branch Award
    The purpose of this award is to provide public recognition of exemplary IEEE Student Branch operations.This award was given because the student branch conformed to IEEE Bylaws, had an active programme and supported IEEE goals.
  • Jan 2013
    IEEE Computer Society Outstanding Chapter Award
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    Recognition of the excellent, high-quality work of our Computer Society Student Chapter during 2012 in providing the best overall set of programs and activities for local members and prospective computing/IT student members.
  • May 2011
    Educational Trip US: Corallia Scholarship Innovation Programme
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    Selected by the Hellenic Student Association of Stanford and sponsored by Corallia to visit Stanford and Berkeley Universities and famous Silicon Valley companies in order to get inspired and improve student life back in Greece.