Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA)

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

Leadership

Principal Investigators

Greg Welch

Lead PI
University of Central Florida

Gerd Bruder

University of Central Florida

John Murray

Director of Software Engineering
University of Central Florida

Tabitha Peck

Davidson College

Jeremy Bailenson

Stanford University

Valerie Jones Taylor

Rutgers University

Shiri Azenkot

Cornell Tech / XR Access

Investigators

Carolina Cruz-Neira

Partnerships, Sustainability
University of Central Florida

Jonathan Beever

Ethics and Privacy
University of Central Florida

Nicholas Alvaro Coles

Big Team Science
University of Central Florida

Rui Xie

Statistics and Data Science
University of Central Florida

Development & Operations

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

Software Development

Corey Clements

Associate Lead Software Engineer

Erik Larson

Software Engineer

Siri Mungi

Developer

Additional Support

Bob Fine

Consultant focusing on healthcare-related and other uses for VERA

Ryan Schubert

Special Projects Coordinator
University of Central Florida

External Advisors

Anthony Steed

Senior Technical Advisor

Mission

Serving the XR Research Community

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.

VERA Values

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:

Be Collaborative

Prioritize collaboration by sharing data and insights.
Support mentorship and professional growth of emerging researchers.
Communicate openly and respectfully across disciplines and roles.
Recognize and credit the contributions of all collaborators.

Be Ethical

Design Experiments that minimize harm and maximize benefit.
Go beyond compliance to uphold trust and best practices in XR research.
Respect and protect ideas and plans privately shared by others under any circumstances.
Seek to engage in research that collectively reflects and benefits the entire general population.

Be Mindful

Protect individuals by respecting choices and data.
Act with accountability and respect for diverse perspectives.
Recognize my responsibility to contribute knowledge to my community or discipline.

Be Transparent

Clearly communicate research goals, methods, and data practices.
Share and cite data responsibly, avoiding conflicts of interest.
Maintain openness about purpose, people, and perspectives in XR research.

Latest Updates

News

24 Jun 2026

The Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA), a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded platform designed to advance the pace and scope of immersive research, has launched its first large-scale remote study and awarded its first use grant to address key challenges in VR and immersive learning.

See Article

22 Mar 2026

VERA offered 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,” gave attendees the opportunity to learn more about the current state and future plans for VERA, while also providing hands-on experience with…

Tutorial

IEEE VR 2026

26 Feb 2026

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.

IVRHA Symposium

View past news

Governance

Community Committees

Outreach and Engagement Committee

Chaired by Jeremy Bailenson

Focuses on community involvement and building/growing a broad, collaborative, and vibrant community of XR researchers.

Ethics and Privacy Committee

Chaired by Jonathan Beever

Focuses on potential ethical concerns related to engagement, research participation and data reuse, and platform design.

Participant and Researcher Committee

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.

Systems and Operations Committee

Chaired by Gerd Bruder and John Murray

Focuses on development and operations of VERA systems, services, and tools.

Community Advisory Board

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