Dr Selvakumar Ramachandran, co-founder of UK-based Kerckhoffs Ltd & Eyemmersive, Inc. (USA), views himself as an information interrogator and staunch believer in the principle of knowledge pay-forward. Above all, he is an advocate for using technology advancements to empower humanity and promote inclusion.
Born in India, Dr. Ramachandran was diagnosed with polio at the age of one, resulting in paraplegia. Despite physical and financial adversities, he excelled academically, earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical & Electronics Engineering from Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, India. His leadership skills and commitment to community service were recognized when he was awarded the Best Outgoing Student for his role as President of the National Service Scheme (NSS).
Upon graduation, Dr. Ramachandran began his career as a COBOL programmer at Lasersoft Infosystems Ltd, an equal opportunity employer. His tenacity and vision led him to convince management to establish a unique training program for individuals with disabilities. This initiative offered internships with stipends and potential job opportunities after successful completion. Within two years, more than 40 people with disabilities benefited from Dr. Ramachandran’s program, many of whom continue to have stable jobs today. His commitment to inclusivity in education led to an invitation to speak at the EURO-INDIA 2004 conference on higher technical education for people with disabilities.
In 2008, Dr. Ramachandran moved to Sweden to pursue an MSc in Software Engineering at Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, further advancing his academic credentials. His journey continued at the University of Rome – Tor Vergata, Italy, where he started his PhD in 2011. Despite promising job prospects in Sweden and potential employment as a lecturer in Malaysia, Dr. Ramachandran chose to pursue the PhD to further broaden his knowledge and scientific experience. His commitment to learning was recognized when he ranked as the top applicant for the International Information Security program at the University of Rome – Tor Vergata, leading to the award of the Mario Lucertini Scholarship at the Department of Business Engineering.
Dr. Ramachandran’s contributions to the field of Computer Science led to his recognition as a recipient of the Google Europe Scholar Award, which included a €7000 cash prize for Students with Disabilities in June 2012.
Upon obtaining his PhD with Cum Laude from the University of Rome – Tor Vergata, Italy, and armed with several years of industry and academic experience, Dr. Ramachandran co-founded Kerckhoffs Ltd in Sunderland, UK. This venture focuses on using emerging technologies to address societal and industry challenges, particularly enabling inclusion. In his role at Kerckhoffs Ltd, Dr. Ramachandran is leading an innovative project, Eyemmersive®, which seeks to develop a virtual reality-based tourism platform akin to Uber to enhance travel experiences for all, with a special focus on people with disabilities.
Furthermore, Dr. Ramachandran continues his research work as part of the DIVETOUR project with ENAT. This project, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, aims to develop and test innovative methodologies and tools for training students and professionals in the tourism sector to better manage current challenges. This initiative promotes active and inclusive collaboration involving stakeholders dealing with accessible tourism from different perspectives.
With over two decades of profound expertise, Selva has a diverse and far-reaching professional portfolio, encompassing the roles of a progressive programmer, inventive entrepreneur, and dedicated academic. His journey has taken him to various international platforms including India, Sweden, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Adding to his professional accomplishments, Selva is a respected member of the British Computer Society and holds the distinguished title of Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts.
Innovation Focus
With a fervour for creating inclusive technology, Selva’s research concentrates on the development of Virtual Reality-based applications, particularly in the tourism sector. These are designed to promote accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities and the neurodiverse community. His innovative work led to him securing funding from the European Commission under the Next Generation Internet – US Explorers programme. The project was subsequently lauded as the best in the social impact category.
Selva’s commitment to improving access extends beyond the lab as he actively collaborates with domestic and global organisations to optimise emerging technologies. The aim is to enhance inclusivity and accessibility within the cultural, heritage, and tourism sectors for individuals with disabilities, neurodiverse and those who are underrepresented.
Publications & Conferences
Selvakumar Ramachandran (2023), Keynote Speaker 49th International Conference “Applications of Mathematics in Engineering and Economics” 10.06-16.06.2023, Sozopol. Bulgaria – “Harnessing Virtual Reality and the Metaverse for Inclusive and Accessible Tourism: Opportunities, Challenges, and Capacity Building for Stakeholders in Developing VR-Based Tourism Content” (49th International Conference (fpmi.bg) )
Selvakumar Ramachandran (2022), Guest Speaker – ICONETSI 2022 – The International Conference on Engineering and Information Technology for Sustainable Industry, Indonesia – “Emerging Technologies for ALL” (ICONETSI 2022 – (sgu.ac.id))
Panel Speaker – 5G World: Smart Tourism 5G World: Smart Tourism (uk5g.org) (Organised by UKTIN – is an inclusive and collaborative forum for the UK telecoms innovation ecosystem, bringing together industry, government, and academia to catalyse R&D investment, cooperation, and commercialisation.)
Dr. Selvakumar Ramachandran, Vijayalakshmi Subramani, Ivor Ambrose “COVID-19 and opportunities for VR based tourism economy” (2020) – COVID-19 and opportunities for VR based tourism economy (accessibletourism.org)
Selvakumar Ramachandran, Andrea Dimitri, Maulahikmah Galinium, Muhammad Tahir, Indirajith V Ananth, Christian H. Schunck and Maurizio Talamo “Understanding and granting Android permissions: A user survey” In Security Technology (ICCST), 2017 International Carnahan Conference on. IEEE.
Fantana, A. L., Ramachandran, S., Schunck, C. H., & Talamo, M. Movement based biometric authentication with smartphones. In Security Technology (ICCST), 2015 International Carnahan Conference on (pp. 235-239). IEEE.
Talamo, M., Ramachandran, S., Barchiesi, M. L., Merella, D., & Schunck, C. (2014). Towards a seamless digital Europe: The SSEDIC recommendations on digital identity management. Proc. Lecture Notes in Informatics, Open Identity Summit.
Ramachandran, S., Dodda, S., & Santapoor, L. (2011). Overcoming Social Issues in Requirements Engineering. In Advanced Computing (pp. 310-324). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.