Scientific Keynote Speakers

Keynote: Understanding and Harnessing Self-Avatars to Investigate and Mitigate Bias

Tabitha C. Peck is currently an Associate Professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College, Davidson, NC, USA. Her research interests include developing and testing usable virtual reality systems, and the investigation of the psychological implications of embodiment in self-avatars with the goal of using avatars to reduce and mitigate bias. She has been both the Journal and Conference Paper Program Chair for IEEE VR, and the Journal Paper Science and Technology Chair for IEEE ISMAR. She is a Review Editor for Frontiers in Virtual Reality and an Associate Editor for Presence. She received the Ph.D. degree in computer science from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, in 2010. She was the recipient of numerous honorable mentions and nominations for best paper awards at IEEE VR, and received the NSF CAREER Award in 2020. She is an IEEE Senior Member.