My name is Cyan DeVeaux. I’m a fifth-year Ph.D. Candidate at Stanford University advised by Professor Jeremy Bailenson and Professor James Landay. As a member of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab and Human-Computer Interaction Group, my work exists at the intersection of media psychology, design, and digital studies. My research investigates social and embodied experiences within AR/MR/VR with a focus how people learn, connect, and express themselves within the medium. Through experimental studies, digital ethnography, and design, I explore the psychobehavioral implications of AR/MR/VR, and how these technologies shape education, social interaction, and digital self-representation. In doing so, my goal is to imagine futures where immersive media foster joy, inclusion, and enrichment.

I am supported by the Joyful Learning Seed Grant, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Stanford Graduate Fellowship in Science & Engineering, Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education Doctoral Fellowship, and Technology & Racial Equity Graduate Fellowship. I am also a Research Affiliate at the University of Michigan Intersectional Tech Lab working with Professor Kishonna Gray. Over the past summers, I worked as a Research Scientist Intern at Meta Reality Labs Research on the Audio Team and Microsoft Research on the Speaking the World into Existence Team. Previously, I worked at Google as a Software Engineer and earned an interdepartmental B.A. in Computer Science and Visual & Media Studies from Duke University.

Research Themes

My work explores how immersive technologies shape learning, connection, and expression across three themes. Each reflects my interest in centering human experience, including identities and group interaction, within AR, MR, and VR design.

Immersive Learning

I design and study immersive environments that support education. This work examines how embodied interaction and spatial presence can foster novel forms of learning,