The Team

Martin Kocur is an Assistant Professor in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Central Florida’s Department of Psychology. He holds a B.A. in Media Informatics and Information Science and an M.Sc. of Media Informatics from the University of Regensburg in Germany. Before coming to the University of Central Florida, he did his PhD in Media Informatics also at University of Regensburg and worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department Digital Media at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Austria. His research focuses on human–computer interaction, with a particular emphasis on the role of virtual avatars in shaping self-perception. He is especially interested in how altering users’ self-representation in immersive virtual environments can enhance performance, enrich subjective experience, and modulate physiological responses during interaction.

Cheyenne is a senior majoring in psychology. Her research interests include human-technology interaction, psychopathology assessment, negative affect, and physiological psychology. Outside of the lab, she is currently working on an Honors Undergraduate Thesis on the intermediate variables within the relationship between problematic phone use and negative affect, specifically anxiety. She plans to apply to Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology in hopes of becoming a clinician.

Adriana is a senior majoring in Experimental Psychology. Her research interests lie in clinical and social psychology, focusing on mental health and social factors that contribute to well-being. She plans to pursue her master’s degree in Experimental Psychology, with the goal of continuing research in these areas.

Kale is a sophomore majoring in psychology. His research interests include social, cognitive, and abnormal psychology, which focus on social phenomena such as “FOMO,” response time, and the prevalence of certain psychological disorders in the modern technological age. He plans to pursue his master’s degree in either clinical psychology or data science in order to become a psychotherapist or a data analyst.

Jonaris is a freshman at UCF studying Psychology on the general track. She personally finds VR super interesting, especially applied to video game like experiences. This is why she is excited to be able to do research at the VAAIL to be able to understand how VR can affect users.