Matthew Rissler
Biography
Matthew Rissler, M.S., serves as corporate faculty in Harrisburg University’s Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics program, where he leads the University’s XR Taskforce. He also serves as research faculty and virtual environments lead for the STORMWERX Research Center, supporting efforts for the Department of Defense. His work brings together digital twins, extended reality (XR), 3D capture, immersive learning, advanced manufacturing, and robotics simulation.
Since joining HU in 2020, he has designed and taught courses in product development, 3D modeling, digital twins, extended reality, and digitally enhanced manufacturing. His teaching incorporates tools such as NVIDIA Omniverse, ENGAGE, ShapesXR, VR and AR systems, and cloud computing. These technologies give students practical experience with emerging tools transforming manufacturing, simulation, and workforce training. He also advises student projects and independent studies and mentors interdisciplinary teams working across advanced manufacturing, robotics, game design, interactive media, and 3D capture.
Rissler led the design and launch of the Harrisburg University Virtual 3D Tour, a student-built campus digital twin using 3D Gaussian Splatting and Arrival.Space. The project established a repeatable workflow for 3D capture, environment production, navigation design, quality review, and publication. Learn more in “Campus Digital Twin: A Student-Built Project Brings HU to Life in 3D.” Continuing his work with digital twins, Rissler is the founder of Resolved Reality, a digital twin and immersive-technology company that creates photorealistic, navigable digital replicas for education, historic and cultural institutions, workforce training, and industry.
Rissler is pursuing a Ph.D. in Computational Sciences and Engineering at Harrisburg University. His doctoral research focuses on GPU-accelerated digital twins, robotics simulation, Physical AI, and applications of the NVIDIA Omniverse. He earned an M.S. in Analytics, with a minor in Healthcare Informatics, and a B.S. in Nanobiotechnology from HU. His master’s research — Shifting Realities: The Transformative Impact of First-Time VR Use on User Interest and Opinions — received first place for master’s students at the 2024 Harrisburg University Student Research Symposium.
His broader engineering experience includes a patent and several pending patents for outer-space construction, leading the electronic design and assembly of a 300-horsepower pulsed-DC electric motor, and completing hands-on work in arc welding and nonmetallic materials. Rissler is also a Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate.
Before shifting his primary professional focus to advanced manufacturing and immersive technology, Rissler spent more than a decade leading data analytics, automation, database development, and process improvement initiatives for federal organizations. That experience continues to inform his approach to scalable technical systems, stakeholder requirements, quality control, technical documentation, and applied learning. Please review his LinkedIn profile for more information on his work.
