Helen Papagiannis, Ph.D.

CEO and Founder at XR Goes Pop

Toronto, Canada

Recognized as a world leading expert, Helen has been working with Augmented Reality (AR) for nearly 15 years as a designer, researcher, consultant, and technology evangelist.

Helen is a proud invited member of the Global Future Council on Virtual and Augmented Reality, a brain trust serving the World Economic Forum.

She is the author of “Augmented Human: How Technology Is Shaping The New Reality” published by O’Reilly Media (2017). “Augmented Human” is currently available in 5 languages (English, Korean, Russian, Chinese traditional script, and Chinese simplified), 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. “Augmented Human” is an inspirational and trusted resource around the world, included on syllabi at prestigious institutions like MIT.

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.

A top requested professional keynote speaker represented by The Lavin Agency, 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.

Helen was named among the NEXT 100 Top Influencers of the Digital Media Industry and as an influential pioneer shaping the next wave of computing. She 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).

Available For: Authoring, Consulting, Influencing
Travels From: Toronto, Ontario
Speaking Topics: Augmented Reality, Future of Work, Emerging Technologies