{"id":2,"date":"2025-08-20T12:49:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T12:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/psychology\/vaail\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-05-04T21:48:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T01:48:39","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/psychology\/vaail\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Welcome to the Virtual Avatar &amp; Agent Interaction Lab (VAAIL)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the VAAIL, situated within the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida, we bring together psychologists, human\u2013computer interaction researchers, and virtual reality enthusiasts to explore the future of immersive technologies. Our work focuses on designing and evaluating innovative virtual and augmented reality applications through a human-centered lens. By studying how people experience and interact with immersive environments, we aim to uncover principles that guide the development of effective, engaging, and meaningful virtual experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research Focus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We are especially interested in <em>human\u2013avatar interaction<\/em>: how digital characters that represent users in virtual reality can shape experiences, communication, and behavior. To study these questions, our lab is equipped with modern technology, including physiological sensors and motion-tracking systems for capturing both psychological and biomechanical processes. Our research is at the intersection of psychology, technology, and human\u2013computer interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join our Research!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you an UCF undergraduate excited about immersive technologies? We regularly offer opportunities to join VAAIL as a research assistant. If you\u2019d like to contribute, please first complete <a href=\"https:\/\/ucf.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_1Chcrx6gn6C6rVs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this form<\/a> and then contact the lab director via email. At least one year commitment is required for all undergrad research assistants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are also looking for motivated graduate students to join our research team! Click\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/psychology\/graduate\/ph-d-applied-experimental-human-factors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>\u00a0for more information about our Human Factors &amp; Cognitive Psychology PhD program. <em><strong>PhD student applicants will be considered during the 2026-2027 admission cycle.\u00a0 Applicants must apply to the<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/psychology\/graduate\/ph-d-human-factors-and-cognitive-psychology\/\">\u00a0UCF Human Factors &amp; Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Collaborations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We seek partnerships with academic, industry, and community collaborators. If you are interested in topics such as human-centered extended reality applications, human\u2013avatar interaction, and intelligent virtual agents, we would love to hear from you. Send an email to martin.kocur@ucf.edu to get in contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-content-justification-center\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the Virtual Avatar &amp; Agent Interaction Lab (VAAIL) At the VAAIL, situated within the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida, we bring together psychologists, human\u2013computer interaction researchers, and virtual reality enthusiasts to explore the future of immersive technologies. Our work focuses on designing and evaluating innovative virtual and augmented reality [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","czr-hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Home - Virtual Avatar &amp; Agent Interaction Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/psychology\/vaail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Home - Virtual Avatar &amp; Agent Interaction Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Welcome to the Virtual Avatar &amp; Agent Interaction Lab (VAAIL) At the VAAIL, situated within the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida, we bring together psychologists, human\u2013computer interaction researchers, and virtual reality enthusiasts to explore the future of immersive technologies. 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