Speakers of the 9th edition (2024)

Professor Jeremy Bailenson is the author of the bestseller “Experience on Demand” and is the world’s leading authority on Virtual Reality (VR). He heads up Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL), a cutting-edge research center on human behavior in immersive environments.

At Stanford, Bailenson studies the psychology of Virtual and Augmented Reality, in particular how virtual experiences lead to changes in perceptions of self and others. His Lab builds and studies systems that allow people to meet in virtual space and explores the changes in the nature of social interaction. His most recent research focuses on how virtual work experiences affect our emotional state, empathy, and engagement. His work on video-call fatigue and cognitive burdens from these pervasive technologies has garnered international recognition. He is the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Stanford.

Bailenson consults on Virtual Reality policy for government agencies including the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, the California Supreme Court, the Federal Communication Committee, the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Research Council, and the National Institutes of Health.

Bailenson has written opinion pieces for Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, PBS NewsHour, Wired, National Geographic, Slate, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has produced or directed six Virtual Reality documentary experiences, which were official selections at the Tribeca Film Festival. His Lab’s research has exhibited publicly at museums and aquariums, including a permanent installation at the San Jose, California Tech Museum.