Helen Papagiannis

DR. HELEN PAPAGIANNIS, PH.D.

Recognized as a world leading expert, Helen has been working with Augmented Reality (AR) for over 18 years as a designer, researcher, consultant, and keynote speaker. Her clients and commissions include Louis Vuitton, Adobe, Snap, Microsoft, Google, PepsiCo, and Zoom. She has been featured in WIRED, Fast Company, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, and Adweek. Helen is an invited member of The World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Future Council on Augmented and Virtual Reality and is a WEF Metaverse Initiative Partner working on defining and building the Metaverse as a transformative medium for society and business.

She is the author of the best-selling book “Augmented Human: How Technology Is Shaping The New Reality” published by O’Reilly Media (2017). “Augmented Human” is available in 5 languages worldwide and it was the first title in the VR Book Club where 100 participants from 6 continents met in Virtual Reality to discuss the book weekly. Helen is also the host and creator of the wildly popular interactive social media game “Real or AR” launched in 2018 and played with audiences around the globe.

Helen's groundbreaking contributions and thought leadership over the last 18 years form the foundation for many of today’s AR experiences and lexicon. A top requested professional keynote speaker, Helen shows audiences the fantastical future of AR, framing it within the needs of a diverse range of industries and objectives. Her SXSW 2019 sold out opening talk on Augmented Reality was the #1 requested presentation with 3200 people vying for 300 seats.

She was named among the NEXT 100 Top Influencers of the Digital Media Industry and as an influential pioneer shaping the next wave of computing. Helen has presented her interactive work and research at global conferences and invited events including 2 TEDx talks (Technology, Entertainment, Design); annual juried papers and demos at ISMAR (International Society for Mixed and Augmented Reality); multiple keynotes and art installations at AWE (Augmented World Expo); a juried presentation at ISEA (International Symposium for Electronic Art); and a solo exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre. Her TEDx talk was featured among the Top 10 talks on Augmented Reality and Gamified Life.

Helen’s past roles include Chief Innovation Officer at Infinity Augmented Reality Inc. (acquired by Alibaba)(New York, Toronto, Tel Aviv); Senior Research Associate at York University’s Augmented Reality Lab (Toronto); and Project Lead at Bruce Mau Design Inc. on “Massive Change: The Future of Global Design” a best-selling book published by Phaidon and 20,000 square foot traveling exhibition (Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago).