Jeremy Bailenson

Founding Director, Stanford University Virtual Human Interaction Lab

Jeremy Bailenson is founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Thomas More Storke Professor in the Department of Communication, Professor (by courtesy) of Education, Professor (by courtesy) Program in Symbolic Systems, and a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment. He has served as Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication for over a decade.

He earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1994 and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Northwestern University in 1999. He spent four years at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Post-Doctoral Fellow and then an Assistant Research Professor. Read More

Carolina Cruz Neira

Agere Chair in Computer Science, University of Central Florida
Steering Committee member, NSF Big Data South Hub
Inventor of the CAVE Virtual Reality System
XR Hall of Fame Inductee

Carolina Cruz-Neira is a pioneering computer scientist and a leading figure in virtual reality, known for inventing the CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). She currently serves as the Agere Chair Professor in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida, where she co-leads the UCF Digital Twin Strategic Initiative and heads the VARLab. Cruz-Neira’s contributions to real-time visualization, VR frameworks, and immersive technologies have earned her numerous accolades, including membership in the National Academy of Engineering and the XR Hall of Fame. Her work bridges engineering, art, and education, inspiring advancements in virtual environments and interactive applications worldwide. Read More

Daniel O’Brien

President, Americas | HTC VIVE

Daniel is a seasoned technology executive with over 24 years of experience in leading and managing the commercialization of emerging technologies, innovations, and solutions for consumers and professional customers. He is the HTC VIVE President for the Americas, overseeing the sales, marketing, product, and operations for the immersive and wireless divisions of HTC.

As a humanity mission driven leader, Daniel is focused on delivering revenue growth, brand building, e-commerce strategies, business development, content creation, and strategic partnerships for HTC VIVE, the pioneer and global leader in virtual reality. He has a proven track record of defining and executing the channel strategy, marketing strategy, product management, supply chain, and public relations for HTC VIVE. Read More

Chanel Menard
Digital Product Specialist, SafeKitchen VR
UM Graduate May 2024

Denise Mendez
Principle Software Engineer, Microsoft Mixed Reality

Thomas Merrick
Sr Project Manager, XR Initiatives
Lecturer, Dept. of Interactive Media

Sofia Perez-Baux
Project Manager, Xennial
UM Graduate May 2024

Matthew Sanders
Education and VR Director,
Meta Global Affairs

Thomas Merrick
Senior Project Manager, XR Initiatives, UM School of Communication Department of Interactive Media

Sidney Cocimano
UX/UI Designer,
The VESL

Evelyn Cruz
Director, Business Operations,
IDSC

Jacqueline Green-Allen
Sr. Administrative Assistant
and Events Coordinator,
IDSC

Kim Grinfeder
Founding Chair and Professor, UM School of Communication Department of Interactive Media

Anna Muller Queiroz
Associate Professor, UM School of Communication Department of Interactive Media
Core Faculty Member, UM IDSC, Creative Technologies program

Mia Uy
Project Manager, The VESL, UM School of Communication, Department of Interactive Media
Co-Founder and President, Kappa Theta Pi

Where to Stay

• Hotel Arya, Coconut Grove
• The Mutiny Hotel, Coconut Grove
• Courtyard by Marriott, Coconut Grove
• Thesis Hotel Miami, Coral Gables
• All Choices

Places to Eat