Rachel is an experienced nurse, academic and advanced clinical practitioner. Since moving into academia full time in 2016, she has developed software to support the enhancement of advanced practice education to develop knowledge skills and application of correct approaches to clinical examination. Following an initial theoretical study, Rachel is now undertaking her PhD research to investigate and evaluate this approach to inform health education for the future. Within the contemporary key contextual literature there remains a continued lack of pre- and post-intervention testing to quantify any differences, therefore, there is a case for more rigorous research to investigate the impact of XR technologies has upon active learning, skill mastery and how it may impact on patient care.

Amy Chao runs the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network with the network Lead, helping innovators across the XR ecosystem (VR, AR, MR, spatial computing) to grow, thrive, and navigate the landscape of funding, investment, and business support. She spearheads key initiatives like the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards and Working Groups on Accessibility, ED&I, Environmental Sustainability and Ethics—bringing together stakeholders from industry and academia to drive collective action for positive impact. As a seasoned community builder, she fosters powerful connections and collaborations.

Devi Kolli is the CEO and Co-founder of i3 Simulations, a leading company specializing in Extended Reality (XR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for healthcare education. With over 17 years of experience in tech startups across sectors like retail, entertainment, and education, Devi has a proven track record of driving global growth and successful exits for bootstrap startups, with a combined valuation exceeding GBP 200 million. In 2019, inspired by the transformative potential of AI and XR, she co-founded i3 Simulations to democratise medical simulation training and revolutionize healthcare education. The company’s cutting-edge AI and XR technologies are redefining traditional training methods, providing practice-led applied learning that equips professionals with the skills needed to excel in their fields. Devi’s relentless pursuit

Mel Slater is a Distinguished Investigator at the University of Barcelona in the Institute of Neurosciences, and co-Director of the Event Lab (Experimental Virtual Environments for Neuroscience and Technology). He was previously Professor of Virtual Environments at University College London in the Department of Computer Science. He has been involved in research in virtual reality since the early 1990s, and has been first supervisor of 41 PhDs in graphics and virtual reality since 1989. He held a European Research Council Advanced Grant TRAVERSE 2009-2015 and has a second Advanced Grant MoTIVE 2018-2023. He is a Research Award Winner of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 2021, and was elected to the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Academy in 2022. He is

Mavi Sanchez-Vives, MD, PhD in Neurosciences, has been an ICREA Research Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS-Hospital Clínic) since 2008, where she leads the Systems Neuroscience group. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Biophysics Laboratory of Rockefeller University and the Neurobiology Laboratory at Yale University (USA). Her main interests in neuroscience include the generation of brain rhythmic activity, brain states, neurotechnology, and neuromodulation. She was a partner in the Graphene Flagship, where her team worked on new brain interfaces. In the Human Brain Project, she was a member of the Science and Infrastructure Board and led a work package titled “Networks Underlying Cognition and Consciousness.” She has recently been awarded an ERC Synergy

Nick Peres is the Director of Digital Innovation and Transformation at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and a national NHS England Advisor for XR Technologies. An innovator and researcher in digital healthcare, Nick brings a diverse background spanning broadcast media, the creative industry, and for the last 15 years, the NHS. He has been instrumental in developing cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) healthcare solutions and completed a PhD focusing on compassionate behaviour in VR.Throughout his career, Nick has developed, executed, and overseen various XR-based projects, including the nationally recognised NHSE-supported VR Lab. He is the founder of PatientVR, an innovative project educating healthcare workers on non-technical skills through immersive patient perspective scenarios.Currently, Nick supports the Digital Futures programme at

Toby is a passionate advocate of evidenced-based simulation for training and therapy. He started his professional career as a physicist in the nuclear industry, where he became interested in the use of new technology to improve human performance and reliability in high-hazard work environments and was an early adopter of XR. Following ESRC funding, Toby co-funded Cineon, a company that builds XR applications that specialise in the use of eye-tracking to develop personalised, data-driven tools, underpinned by contemporary research in psychology, neuroscience, and pedagogy. Toby has overseen ground-breaking XR projects in multiple sectors including aviation, oil & gas, healthcare, nuclear and defence, and is currently involved in the development of a wide range of applications; from assisting anxious patient to

Atif is a VR implementation expert with four years at Shell, where he revolutionized workflows through VR at refineries. After speaking on a Meta panel and various podcasts, he recognized the industry’s struggle to scale VR beyond pilots. This led him to found Immersive Horizons, a consultancy that guides enterprises and vendors in overcoming the challenges of VR implementation and scaling, driving real-world impact in immersive technologies.

Tara Collingwoode-Williams is a lecturer and researcher at Goldsmiths University, where she teaches in the Master’s Program in Virtual and Augmented Reality. She is currently completing her PhD in Virtual Reality(VR), focusing on Embodiment, Virtual Avatars, and the use of VR in training for Medical Communication Skills. Tara is a passionate advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI), leading EDI initiatives within the Computing department at Goldsmiths. Additionally, she is the founder of the ‘Black XR Network,’ a platform dedicated to supporting people of colour in the immersive and creative tech industry.

Dr Aiden Jayanth is Head of Anatomy at the School of Medicine, University of Surrey. He is also the Lead for Year 1 of the Surrey Medical programme. Externally, he is the Treasurer of the London and South East Committee of Anatomists (LSECA). Aiden is a medically qualified anatomist and has completed doctoral studies in molecular medicine focusing on healthcare-associated infections. He has taught anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology on a number of undergraduate and postgraduate pre-registration healthcare programmes, including medicine. He also teaches anatomy on a number of external courses offered by the Royal College of Surgeons. At Surrey, Aiden will be managing the new anatomy teaching facility, integrating traditional cadaver-based teaching with modern approaches. His research interests are in

Dr Oliver Runswick is a Senior Lecturer in Performance Psychology at King’s College London where he co-leads of the Multidisciplinary Occupational Research for Performance and Health (MORPH) Lab and the Basic Psychological Science Research Theme. Dr Runswick has published numerous academic research papers and spoken at international conferences. He is experienced in science communication and delivers consultancy and contract research to sports and performance organisations including professional cricket, football, and Olympic sport. His current focus is on the application of XR technologies in sport, exercise, and health. Dr Runswick’s work in this area has applications ranging from testing and training in high performance sport to optimising exercise rehabilitation in clinical populations.

Bea is a Human Factors Consultant at QinetiQ. She completed her PhD (2017-2021) at the University of Portsmouth sponsored in part by QinetiQ, empirically exploring the impact of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) on team training. This has been acclaimed by the Royal Navy and Training organisations as a leading evidence based analysis of the benefits of VR technology for teams and published externally at international fora. Bea specialises in Human-Computer Interaction, Behavioural Analytics, and Team Science, and has led and supported a wide range of projects on the use of XR for training and, more recently, Human Augmentation.

Andrew is an NHS anaesthetist and one of NHS England’s Clinical Entrepreneurs. With longstanding passion and experience in medical education, he became frustrated with the constant barriers that limit access to on-the-job training for NHS staff and founded Upskill. Health in 2023 to deliver cost-effective, virtual simulation training ‘in the flow’ of clinical work. Awarded Innovate UK funding, Upskill are partnering with Coventry & Warwickshire’s ICS and Coventry University to develop a combined mobile, AI and VR training platform that aims to scale access to on-the-job training for NHS maternity staff.

Mr. Ryan Kerstein, FRCS (Plast), is a Plastic Surgery Consultant and the Skin Cancer Lead at Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust, where he is also the Associate Medical Director for Research and Innovation.  In this capacity, Dr. Kerstein has been pivotal in developing and implementing the Trust’s research and innovation strategy, significantly enhancing collaborative efforts with academic and industry partners. Additionally, he leads the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s Future of Surgery Innovation Hub, where he mentors surgical innovators and accelerates the integration of groundbreaking technologies into clinical practice. His leadership in these roles underscores his commitment to advancing the field of plastic surgery through innovation and research.

Prof. dr. Harry van Goor, Principal Medical Officer at SyncVR Medical, is a renowned expert in gastrointestinal surgery, surgical education, and healthcare innovation, with a career spanning several decades. After earning his MD and PhD from the University of Groningen and specialising in abdominal surgery, he has made significant contributions to clinical practice and research, particularly in addressing postoperative complications such as surgical site infections and adhesions. As a Professor of Surgical Education at Radboud University Medical Center, Harry has been instrumental in advancing surgical education and integrating emerging technologies like AI, VR and AR into medical practice. He notably established the VR2GO concept at Radboudumc, the first XR Hub of its kind, where XR technology is centrally organised to

Floris van der Breggen is founder and CEO of SyncVR Medical, the largest Virtual/Augmented Reality (XR) platform of healthcare in Europe. He has a background in psychology and computer science. From his first-ever side job in dementia care when he was 15 years old, he is endlessly motivated to improve healthcare internationally day by day, which led to founding SyncVR Medical in 2019, now becoming the de-facto standard platform for XR in healthcare education – from anatomy to soft skills, from surgical to nursing simulation.

Joe Varrasso is CEO/Founder of Kiedimi Limited which was founded to bring advisory services toXR ecosystem including customers, startups and channel focused on Healthcare, Education andCulture. Kiedimi is currently working with innovative startups including apoQlar medical, Strollland Fracture Reality. Previously, Joe built the partner ecosystem and channel for MicrosoftHoloLens in Europe, was a Startup Mentor and lead HoloLens sales for I-JK and MEA. He has anextensive knowledge of XR use cases and solutions across industries and was recognised as adomain expert in XR in Healthcare at Microsoft and the wider community being a foundingmember of the Holomedicine Association. Engaging with NHS at start of COVID, Joe has helpedpioneer the adoption of many use cases to help address challenges of healthcare

Azize Naji has dedicated his career to improving the quality of education and training in healthcare. With over 10 years of experience working in the NHS, Azize has been instrumental in designing, implementing, and evaluating a wide range of education and training programs across various clinical specialties.  Using his experience and passion, he became the CEO and founder of a multi-award-winning company called Goggleminds. His team have developed a Virtual Reality-based training platform called the Mediverse. This innovative platform is filled with immersive training experiences that provide healthcare professionals and students with a highly effective way to learn and improve their skills. The Mediverse has been featured on the BBC, ITV News and the Today Programme and has received widespread

Arome is a Business Analyst, Immersive Technologist, and the Executive Director of Immersive Tech Africa, a non-profit focused on increasing access to Extended Reality (XR) technology across Africa through education, training, and research. The organization strives to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive XR community on the continent. Arome is the convener of the XR Innovation Summit, Africa’s premier virtual XR conference, which brings together thought leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts to explore the impactful applications of XR, AI and Spatial Computing. Alongside a dedicated team, he is empowering the next generation of XR creators in Africa through the XR Innovation Launchpad program, aiming to support, mentor and train 5,000 VR/AR creators.

Rob is a polyglot business development expert with MBA studies, graduated in Germany and the UK with a background in consulting and sales of technology, innovation, and behavioural economics. He has extensive international experience in business development of innovative solutions working with the most powerful brands in the world within almost every industry.  In 2008 Rob came in touch with a fascinating technology of unlimited potential. He started working as eyetracking expert for the world’s leading eyetracking company Tobii in central Europe where he helped to built up the German office and was responsible for consulting academic and commercial clients on the innovative technology and research methodologies. In 2012 Robertino moved on to become General Manager of Eye On Media