Supported by five collaborative grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the VERA project is developing a human-machine system for carrying out human subjects research related to extended reality (XR), including Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, for the XR researcher community.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award numbers 2235066, 2235068, 2235070, 2350377, and 2235067. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Team
University of Central Florida
(Lead PI), University of Central Florida
(Director of Community Outreach), Stanford University
(Director of Software Engineering), University of Central Florida
(Cornell Tech / XR Access)
Davidson College
Rutgers University
(Partnerships, Sustainability), University of Central Florida
(Ethics and Privacy), University of Central Florida
(Big Team Science), University of Central Florida
(Statistics and Data Science), University of Central Florida
Ali Haskins
(Director of Development and Operations), University of Central Florida
Chloe Beato
(Development Project Manager), University of Central Florida
Dylan Fox
(XR Access Director of Operations)
Lauren LePage
(Legal Intern)
Matthew Gottsacker
(Business Development Coordinator), University of Central Florida
Corey Clements
(Associate Lead Software Engineer)
Erik Larson
(Software Engineer)
Siri Mungi
(Developer)
Mission
To serve the community of XR researchers by providing tools to accelerate and improve the quality of their human subjects research, building and sustaining a broad and collaborative community of XR researchers, fostering the development of the current and next generation of XR researchers.
Community Commitment
VERA is a unique XR community-focused research platform that helps connect Researchers with representative and engaged research Participants to accelerate the pace and quality of XR research. VERA Developers and Administrators work to build a repository of Experiment data sets for novel secondary research, and to sustain an engaged and supportive research community.
The entire VERA community commits to the following Guiding Principles and corresponding Values that shape our engagement with XR research, and are reflected in VERA policies, procedures, and platform design.
Principle 1
We value the contribution of meaningful knowledge to our disciplines. We aim to improve the quality and generalizability of XR research via speed, scale, and demographic control. VERA is designed to support Experiments that reflect the broad range of prospective XR users in the general population.
Principle 2
We prioritize the VERA community and collaboration. By sharing data, insights, and feedback openly, we strengthen the collective capacity of the VERA community and ensure that research benefits are widely distributed.
Principle 3
We demonstrate integrity by treating VERA stakeholders, including Institutions, Researchers, and Participants, as valued partners in the research process. This includes honoring their autonomy, safeguarding their data, and responsibly managing their resources, all with transparency and care. We recognize that ethical stewardship of community contributions is essential to building trust and advancing meaningful science.
Principle 4
VERA fosters a research culture that supports mentorship, inclusion, and the professional growth of emerging Researchers. By investing in the development of Researchers, we strengthen the integrity, quality, and sustainability of the research community as a whole.
VERA values reinforce commitment to VERA's guiding principles of our community. As either a Researcher, a Participant, a Developer, or an Administrator in the VERA community I will:
Latest Updates
VERA will be offering a tutorial at IEEE Virtual Reality 2026. The tutorial, titled “Research at Scale with the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA) – An Early-Access Hands-On Tutorial,” will offer attendees a chance to learn more about the state of and plans for VERA, and actually try out the current version of the platform.
VERA had a presence at the 10th Annual Virtual Reality and Healthcare (IVRHA) Global Symposium in Tampa, FL, USA. This included a plenary overview of VERA, a VERA exhibit, and a one-hour VERA workshop / breakout session.
Governance
Chaired by Jeremy Bailenson
Focuses on community involvement and building/growing a broad, collaborative, and vibrant community of XR researchers.
Chaired by Jonathan Beever
Focuses on potential ethical concerns related to engagement, research participation and data reuse, and platform design.
Chaired by Valerie Jones Taylor, Tabitha Peck, and Dylan Fox
Focuses on all matters related to the Participant Pool and the Researchers who use VERA, including user experience, access, financial matters, IRB matters, and experiments including vulnerable populations.
Chaired by Gerd Bruder and John Murray
Focuses on development and operations of VERA systems, services, and tools.
The VERA Community Advisory Board (CAB) provides strategic perspectives, critical thinking, and specific advice to the entire VERA organization.
Learn more about the CAB →Connect