About this Event
MIAMI XR 2025: Where Innovation Meets Imagination
UMverse at the University of Miami invites you to dive into the cutting-edge world of XR at Miami XR 2025 on Thursday and Friday, February 6+7. Join industry experts, tech visionaries, artists, and university scholars from around the globe in exploring the latest trends and innovations in XR technology.
TICKETS are $30.00 per person (both days included) • Free for UM Faculty, Staff, and Students. Using your miami.edu email, please contact idsc@miami.edu for the PROMO CODE.
Special thanks to our Sponsors!
Agenda Day One
Thursday 2/6/2025 • Shalala Student Center Complex (3rd Floor Activities Room 306)
1330 Miller Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146 | Directions
5:00 PM Registrations + Cocktail Hour Opens
5:30 PM Student Welcome | Mia Uy
5:40 PM UM Welcome | Provost Willy Prado
5:50 PM Faculty Welcome | Kim Grinfeder
5:55 PM Intro to XR at the U | Thomas Merrick
6:05 PM Lightning Talks
6:35 PM KEYNOTE SPEAKER | Daniel O'Brien • HTC VIVE
6:55 PM Closing Remarks | Matthew Sanders • Meta
7:00 PM Networking Cocktails
8:00 PM Adjourn
RESERVED PARKING is available using the Pay by Phone app at the Pavia Garage (see maps below). The dark green dotted line indicates the walking path from Pavia to the Shalala Student Center Complex.
Click on either map for a larger version.
Agenda Day Two
Friday 2/7/2025 • Newman Alumni Center (Multipurpose ABC)
6200 San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146 | Directions
9:00 AM Registration Opens | Breakfast + Demos
10:00 AM Welcome Remarks
10:10 AM Lightning Talks
10:30 AM KEYNOTE SPEAKER | Jeremy Bailenson
11:15 AM Break
11:35 AM The Tipping Point for XR | Thomas Merrick
11:45 PANEL: Future of XR
Moderator: Thomas Merrick
Panelists: Matthew Sanders, Denise Mendez, Anna Queiroz
12:15 PM Lunch and Demos
1:30 PM Lightning Talks
1:50 PM KEYNOTE SPEAKER | Carolina Cruz Neira
2:35 PM Break
3:00 PM PANEL: Jobs in XR
Moderator: Mia Uy
Panelists: Chanel Menard, Sofia Perez-Baux, Alec Warren
3:45 PM Closing Remarks | Kim Grinfeder
4:00 PM Cocktail Reception + Demos
5:30 PM Adjourn
COMPLIMENTARY PARKING | Day 2 Newman Alumni Center
Complimentary parking is available if you register your vehicle:
https://www.offstreet.io/location/SVMCNHTN
Enter your license plate number, then enter this code: 0207
Parking valid in Gray Lots only. | Please park head-in only.

Keynote Speakers

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

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

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
Speakers

Digital Product Specialist, SafeKitchen VR
UM Graduate May 2024

Principle Software Engineer, Microsoft Mixed Reality

Project Manager, Xennial
UM Graduate May 2024

Education and VR Director | Meta Global Affairs
Director, Frost Planetarium | Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
Conference Organizers

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

UX/UI Designer,
The VESL

Evelyn Cruz
Director, Business Operations,
IDSC

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

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

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

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


Event Type
Lecture/ConferenceTopics
Science and TechnologyDepartment
Institute for Data Science and Computing, Research & Scholarship, School of CommunicationHashtag
#xr
Newman Alumni Ctr, Multipurpose ABC
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