The Intersection Between Reality and Virtual Reality: An Interview with Professor Jeremy Bailenson

Abstract

Professor Bailenson earned his B.A. Cum Laude in Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan in 1994. He went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Northwestern University in 1996 and 1999 respectively. After receiving his doctorate, he spent four years at the Research Center for Virtual Environments and Behavior at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Post-Doctoral Fellow and then an Assistant Research Professor. Bailenson's main interest revolves around the concept of digital human representation in the context of immersive virtual reality. Notably, he is the founding director of Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab. Professor Bailenson is also the author of the book Infinite Reality: Avatars, Eternal Life, New Worlds, and the Dawn of the Virtual Revolution. In addition, Professor Bailenson's findings have been published in over 90 academic papers in the fields of communication, computer science, education, law, political science, and psychology and the National Science Foundation has funded his research.

Currently, Professor Bailenson is an Associate Professor at Stanford University's Department of Communications and is the Director of Graduate Studies for Stanford's Doctoral Program in Communications. In addition, he is the Associate Professor by courtesy in the Program in Symbolic Systems. Professor Bailenson is also a Senior Fellow in Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment.