Eugene Ohu is an Associate Professor and Director of the Virtual Human Computer Interaction (VHCI) Lab at Lagos Business School, the first dedicated virtual reality (VR) research lab in an African business school. His work sits at the intersection of behavioural science, psychology, and technology, with a focus on understanding how immersive and digital environments shape human behaviour, decision making, and organisational outcomes.

He holds a PhD in Institutional Social Communications from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Benin. This interdisciplinary training underpins his distinctive research agenda, which bridges behavioural psychology and advanced technologies to address complex organisational and societal challenges.

Dr Ohu’s areas of expertise include immersive technologies for behavioural interventions in organisations; human-technology interaction and virtual reality research; the psychology of digital agency and the attention economy; work-family conflict and employee wellbeing; cross-cultural behavioural research; and management communication. His scholarship is particularly recognised for demonstrating how immersive technologies can influence attitudes, reduce bias, and strengthen cooperation in diverse settings.

His research investigates how technology shapes behaviour and decision making in organisations and society. Notably, his virtual reality studies involving over 1,080 participants across Nigeria and Kenya - among the largest of their kind globally - show that immersive technologies can measurably reduce ethnic bias and enhance cooperation across diverse groups. His work appears in leading international journals, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Computers in Human Behaviour and Technology, and Mind and Behaviour. His research has attracted over USD$800,000 in competitive funding from organisations such as the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Meta Platforms, and J-PAL.

Eugene teaches across MBA and Executive Education programmes at Lagos Business School and also teaches Global Virtual Teams in partnership with Yale School of Management. He designed and led the launch of the LBS MSc in Management programme. His teaching integrates immersive technology with experiential and evidence based learning approaches, equipping graduate students and senior executives to navigate digital transformation and lead effectively in technology mediated environments.

Beyond the classroom, his work has significant impact on business, policy, and society. His VR research provides organisations and policymakers with evidence based approaches to reducing discrimination and building cohesion in ethnically diverse workplaces and communities. His research on work-family dynamics demonstrates how workplace stressors affect employees' families, offering insights that inform organisational wellbeing policies and human-centred management practices.

He is driven by a conviction that technology, when well understood and thoughtfully deployed, can advance human flourishing and strengthen the fabric of diverse societies. In addition to founding and directing the VHCI Lab, he has served as Head of the Department of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management at Lagos Business School (2015–2020). He is a Board Member of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) and served as a Visiting Research Scholar at Gannon University in 2025.

Recent Publications

1. Ohu, E. A., Schrier, K., Emami, C., Alugo, M., Babatunde, E., Bodunde, I., ... & Lansford, J. E. (2025). Virtual reality game jam as a character development tool in and beyond the classroom. Research in Human Development.
2. Ohu, E. A., Olarinde O., Adetunji, S., Odumbo, D., & Ogbitse, A. (2025). VR builds lasting empathy and compassion: Observation edges embodiment in adolescents. Conference Proceedings (accepted).
3. Allen, T., Beham, B., Ollier-Malaterre, A., ... Ohu, E. ... (2024). Boundary management preferences from a gender and cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 148, 103943.
4. Yoo, J., & Ohu, E. (2024). Virtual reality vs. TV: Comparing empathy, engagement, enjoyment, and usage intentions. The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society.
5. Beham, B., Ollier-Malaterre, A., Allen, T. D., ... Ohu, E. ... (2023). Humane orientation, work-family conflict, and positive spillover across cultures. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(10), 1573-1597.
6. Ohu, E. A. (2023). Too much information: When work-family conflict empowers senior managers to stay. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology.
7. Ohu, E. A., & Spitzmueller, C. A. (2023). Greasing the wheel through bribes: Interaction of national culture and local business conditions. South African Journal of Business Management.
8. Thomas, C. L., Ingels, D. J., Kazmi, M. A., Ohu, E. A., Belle, C., & Spitzmueller, C. (2022). Adolescents' problematic internet use in secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria. Computers in Human Behavior, 132, 107247.
9. Yoo, J., Lee, S., & Ohu, E. A. (2022). A cross-cultural analysis of VR gaming psychological needs and motivations: A self-determination theory approach. Managing Sport and Leisure.
10. Lupinek, J., Brownlee, E., Ohu, E., & Yoo, J. (2022). The untapped inventory of virtual reality in-game advertising (IGA): Digital disruptions for sports marketing research. Journal of Sport.
11. Bodunde, I. J., & Ohu, E. (2022). Advertising in virtual reality: A hierarchy of effects paradigm. In Marketing Communications and Brand Development in Emerging Economies, Springer, pp. 229-252.
12. Ohu, E., & Dosumu, F. (2021). The other side of a pandemic in I-O psychology research. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 14(1-2), 239-243.
13. Yoo, J., Ohu, E. A., & Ohu, I. (2021). A cross-cultural study of the influence of environmental factors on VR gamers' experience of spatial presence, enjoyment, and subjective workload. Technology, Mind, and Behaviour.
14. Lupinek, J., Yoo, J., Ohu, E., & Brownlee, E. (2021). Congruity of virtual reality in-game advertising. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3, 728749.
15. Yoo, J., Lee, S., Ohu, E. A., & Brownlee, E. A. (2021). An analysis of potential VR sports game consumers' prospective motives. International Journal of Business in Sports, Tourism and Hospitality Management, 3(1).