We are pleased to invite you to the 2026 XR Research Symposium, presented by the Center for eXtended Reality in partnership with Mary Ann Mavrinac Studio X, University Libraries.

The symposium highlights XR research and innovation across disciplines at the University of Rochester, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and across the broader Rochester research community. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from colleagues, identify potential collaborations, and connect with researchers working across fields. For students, the event offers valuable exposure to active research groups and insight into future research and career pathways. The symposium will also feature hands-on access to the latest XR technologies in Studio X.

Schedule:

• 1:00 – 1:30pm: Registration
• 1:30 – 1:45pm: Opening Remarks — Barry Silverstein, Director, Center for Extended Reality, URochester
• 1:45 – 2:30pm: Keynote Address —  Jeremy Bailenson, Founding Director, Virtual Human Interaction Lab; Thomas More Storke Professor, Communication, Stanford
• 2:30 – 3:30pm: Lightning Talks
• 3:30 – 4:30pm: Lab Showcase, Posters & Tech Demos

Confirmed Speakers & Presenters:

Keynote Address: Jeremy Bailenson, Founding Director, Virtual Human Interaction Lab; Thomas More Storke Professor, Communication, Stanford

Lightning Talks

• Ania Busza & Ayham Khleif, Movement & Plasticity Lab, Neurology, URMC
• Christopher Thorstenson & Xinmiao Zhang, Munsell Color Science Lab, RIT
• Renuka Manjula Narayanan, Center for Visual Science, URochester
• Nicholas Gresens, Department of Religion & Classics, URochester
• Riham Alieldin, Division of Supportive Care in Cancer, URMC
• Sue Cardinal, River Campus Libraries, URochester
• Tanya Garg, ZVR Lab, URochester
• Dominic Lippa, Lipomi Research Group, URochester
• Diana Naomi Guevara Mendoza, Global Health and Medical Devices Lab, URochester
• Joe Giegel, Department of Computer Science, RIT
• Jose Reynoso, Tadin Lab, URochester
• Ram Haddas, Motion Analysis Laboratories, URMC
• Yifan Li, ROC HCI Lab, URochester
• Hope Kile, Pediatric Cardiology Division, URMC
• Tamuda Chimhanda & Catherine Elliot, Mt. Hope Family Center, URochester

Lab Showcase, Posters & Tech Demos

• Lab Showcase, Posters & Tech Demos:
• ZVR Lab — Skylar DeWitt
• Interplay Lab — Shutong Wu
• Horizon Lab — Weikai Lin and Ethan Chen
• The XRLive Project @ RIT — Joe Geigel
• Interplay Lab — Zhen Bai, Erfan Farhadi, Yifan Li, and Qianjie Wei
• Digital Kormantin NEH — Mike Jarvis, Yvie Zhang, and Blaire Tinker
• Historical VR Printing Press — Shaun Foster and Steven Galbraith
• ODALab — Chi Zhang
• The Vamivakas Lab — Yifan Lu
• ODALab — Matthew Ferguson
• Perception for Movement Lab — Triya Belani, Chengyi Ma, and Gabriel J. Diaz
• Lipomi Research Group — Dominic Lippa
• ToolTwin — Luke Liu and Ertugrul Senturk
• Ancient Greek & Rome in Extended Reality — Justin Dwyer
• Movement & Plasticity Lab — Ania Busza, Ayham Kleif, Navya Koganti, Paige Hepple, and Duje Tadin
• ZVR Lab — Tanya Garg
• Global Health and Medical Devices — Diana Naomi Guevara Mendoza
• Odyssey VR — Nicholas Gresens and Emmie Lin
• Mt. Hope Family Center — Tamuda Chimhanda and Catherine Elliot
• UR Heart Quest — Hope Kile and Aadiva Rajbhandary
• Kodak Stereoscopic Display — Josh Cobb
• Genomics Shared Resources — Spencer Ahn and Sherkeem Duprey
• ODALab — Yiwen Fan
• Mary Ann Mavrinac Studio X — Studio X and Students
• Amalgamated Vision — Adam Davis
• OLEDWorks — Heather Duffin
• CSC 216/416 — AR/VR Students

General Registration: Attendance is open to all members of the community interested in XR research, collaboration, and emerging technologies. Please mark your calendars and use the link below to attend.

Register Here