Carolina Cruz-Neira

Carolina Cruz-Neira
Alma materUniversity of Illinois, Chicago
Universidad Metropolitana
OccupationAgere Chair in Computer Science, University of Central Florida
Known forComputer Science and Engineering,
CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment Software frameworks for virtual reality application development:CAVELib, VRJugger, Tweek, Maestro.
AwardsMember of the National Academy of Engineering, XR Hall of Fame, IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award 2007, Arkansas Research Alliance Scholar

Carolina Cruz-Neira is an American computer scientist, researcher, designer, educator, and a pioneer of virtual reality (VR). She is known for inventing the cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE). She is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Academy, a XR Hall of Fame member, a Modeling & Simulation Hall of Fame member, and a Spark Star of the Museum of Discovery. Currently, she is the Agere Chair Professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF).

Her research interest are real-time visualization software frameworks, virtual environments, and applications in a broad range of disciplines. She is also an artist and dance producer having staged several virtual reality and immersive live dance performances as well as museum interactive installations.

Cruz-Neira was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2018 for contributions to immersive visualization and virtual reality.