Speakers

Phil is the founder and Executive Creative Director of PRELOADED, a multi-BAFTA-winning game studio. Over the past 25 years, he has collaborated with global brands like the BBC, Disney, and The LEGO Group, and partnered with leading technology platforms such as Epic, Meta and Google to shape the future of playful engagement. Passionate about exploring the “possibility space” created by emerging technologies, he is dedicated to crafting digital experiences that enrich the world rather than detract from it.

Poonacha Machaiah is the CEO & Co-Founder of Cyberhuman.ai, dedicated to transforming well-being by integrating timeless wisdom and modern science with cutting edge AI, to enable peak living. He is also the CEO of The Chopra Foundation and has Co-founded Seva.Love, the metaverse platform for wellbeing, along with world-renowned mind-body medicine pioneer and New York Times best-selling author Deepak Chopra, MD. Poonacha also serves as a board member of the Global Mental Health Task Force. His leadership extends to spearheading initiatives like NeverAlone®, aimed at addressing mental health and suicide prevention, and Peak Living, which celebrates the synergy of wisdom and vitality across generations. Poonacha brings a wealth of experience from esteemed roles at industry giants such as Nortel, Iridium, Motorola, and Sasken, where he contributed to shaping technological landscapes. Poonacha Machaiah's academic journey includes earning an MBA from the esteemed College of William and Mary, complemented by a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. His dedication to leveraging technology for holistic well-being, coupled with his strategic vision and commitment to social impact, underscores his invaluable contributions to The Chopra Foundation's mission.

Raashi Sikka is the Chief Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Social Impact Officer at Ubisoft, where she leads strategic initiatives to enhance workplace diversity and foster a culture of belonging for over 18,000 employees globally. Her efforts also empower development teams to create inclusive and accessible games that resonate with players worldwide. Additionally, Raashi is the co-founder of The Inclusion Company, a boutique D&I consulting firm. She is also an advisor at Capital T, a seed-stage venture fund and she serves on the boards of Leathwaite Executive Search and the mental health non-profit Take This. Prior to Ubisoft, Raashi led Diversity and Inclusion for EMEA and APAC at Uber and globally for Uber Eats.

Rachel Kowert, Ph.D is a research psychologist, award winning author, and globally recognized leader in game and game adjacent spaces on issues relating to mental health and trust and safety. Dr. Kowert is the founder of Psychgeist, a multimedia content production studio for the intersection of science and games. She is currently a Visiting Researcher at the University of Cambridge and Strategic Policy Advisor at Discord. To learn more about Rachel and her work, visit www.rkowert.com.

Robert is a Producer at The Halp Network. Some projects he's worked on include Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Wylde Flowers. His passions in the space include novel methodology of production, authenticity in games, and (non-AI) tools: especially in the context of broadening & deepening dialogue potential, goals, and options.

Rubin Soodak is a creator of digital things for learning with radical impact. As an Interactive Producer at Fred Rogers Productions, he leads interactive production for the preschool series Alma’s Way and other brands across digital platforms. Rubin’s games span a wide range of learning domains, including flexible thinking, persistence, self-awareness, social awareness, and compassion. He believes that good stuff for learning must listen to and trust learners, meeting them where they are in order to take them where they want to go. Rubin has dedicated his career to the empowerment of children through media and digital literacy. Before joining Fred Rogers Productions, he worked as a producer for Nick Jr./Noggin and Encantos, and also taught students at the high-school and undergraduate level. Rubin holds an Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a B.A. in Physics from The University of Chicago.

Ruolin Ye is a third-year Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Cornell University, advised by Prof. Tapo Bhattacharjee. She holds a B.Eng. in Information Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where she began her research in computer vision and then moved to simulation and robotics. Her current research centers on robot caregiving, with a special focus on developing foundation models for this. Her work has been recognized with several honors, including the Best RoboCup Paper Award and finalist nomination for the Best Paper Award and Best Student Paper Award at IROS 2022.

Russell Shilling, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized innovator in games for impact development, emerging technology, and psychological health, with over 25 years of experience spanning defense, education, federal policy, and nonprofit leadership. He is dedicated to advancing accessibility, inclusion, and wellness through strategically using AI, immersive media, and behavioral science. He is also deeply committed to applying these efforts to the autism community. A former Navy Captain and Aerospace Experimental Psychologist, Russ was an early contributor and sound designer for America’s Army, one of the most successful government-developed games. Throughout his career, he sponsored numerous R&D programs that used interactive game environments to personalize STEM learning and deliver psychological health interventions. He served as a program officer at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he led groundbreaking initiatives in affective computing, AI-driven conversational agents, and serious games for education and mental health.  During his military service, he launched the Department of Defense’s first virtual reality therapy program for PTSD—now deployed in numerous VA clinics—and directed projects applying game-based and immersive approaches to pain management and cognitive rehabilitation. His collaboration with Sesame Workshop produced award-winning multimedia kits to support military children facing deployment, injury, or grief, showcasing the power of storytelling and interactive media to promote emotional resilience. Following his Navy career, Dr. Shilling was appointed Executive Director of STEM Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education under the Obama Administration. There, he established the department’s first Office of STEM and became a key advocate for ARPA-ED, an initiative to bring DARPA-style innovation into K–12 education. He also co-chaired a federal working group coordinating serious games efforts across agencies, helping shape early national policy in educational technology. As Chief Scientific Officer at the American Psychological Association, he led the Science Directorate. He expanded national advocacy efforts focused on the ethical use of technology in behavioral health and mental health delivery systems. Today, Dr. Shilling continues to advise organizations, philanthropies, and startups on applying innovative R&D approaches to developing emerging technologies to tackle pressing challenges in education and wellness. He is also actively working with startups using generative AI to expand on his earlier DARPA work in digital wellness, mental health support, and AI-powered coaching.   He has also been instrumental in developing ongoing efforts to create games on the Roblox platform.

Ryan Cameron is the CEO of CleanPlay, a climate-tech startup with an audacious first target: transforming the $200B gaming industry into a literal global power source. A former Microsoft executive who led Xbox EMEA, and the architect of the Olympic Movement’s first global digital platform, Ryan has built his career at the crossroads of culture, tech, and global influence.

Samuel Fletcher is an NYC-based independent game designer interested in exploring the intersection of play and artistic practice. He is a recent graduate of the NYU Game Center with an MFA in Game Design.

Sarah Jacobstein is the project manager for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center’s well-being by design initiatives, including Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children, a multistakeholder initiative that aims to create evidence-based, child-centered, practical tools for businesses and governments to put the well-being of children at the forefront of digital design.

Seung Taek Peter Lee is a game designer and educator. A former co-founder of gameLab, he now leads Nolgong, based in Seoul, creating game-based experiences in learning, culture, and social impact. He collaborates with international partners on projects like _Being Faust_, _Wallpeckers_, and is currently working on teen suicide prevention and mental health initiatives.

Shu is an XR researcher and developer blending immersive tech with healthcare innovation. With a PhD in VR for Psychiatry from Oxford, she creates empathetic virtual humans using biometrics and 3D animation. Her award-winning work (IEEE VR, Francis Crick Innovation Challenge) bridges scientific rigor with creative digital solutions. She enjoys building XR experiences where science meets thoughtful design expression.

Sophie Priest (she/they) is the Assistant Director of Esports Innovation at UNC Greensboro. Priest wears many hats, but primarily coordinates events, promotes career development for students, and manages external partnerships. Events produced include multiple Game Jams, speaker presentations and workshops in a series around accessibility in games, and too many tournaments to count.

Sparsh Ahuja is the founder of Project Dastaan and a National Geographic Explorer specializing in animation and documentary. His documentary Birdsong premiered at SXSW and was shortlisted for the Grierson, IDA, and BIFA Awards before being acquired by The Guardian, and his VR experience Child of Empire was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival. Sparsh’s work has been showcased at institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, BFI Southbank, and ForumDesImages in Paris.

Tami Bhaumik is the Vice President of Civility & Partnerships at Roblox. She develops strategies promoting digital civility and online safety. The Civility Initiative she leads empowers youth with the knowledge and skills to create a positive online environment and establish a healthy community. She collaborates with safety and industry organizations to provide resources for young people, parents, and teachers.

Tatiana Skliarenko is the Director of International Programs at Games for Change Learn, where she leads global programs that empower youth and educators to use game design for learning and social impact. With over a decade of experience in digital education, she has built and managed game-based initiatives across sectors and continents, driven by a passion for using play to spark meaningful change in the classroom and beyond. Her work focuses on designing, scaling, and adapting educational programs that help learners explore real-world issues, build critical skills, and reimagine what’s possible through the power of games and immersive technology.

Taylor Maxwell is Managing Director at Project Unloaded, a nonprofit working to reduce gun violence by engaging, empowering and educating teens with the facts through community partnerships, digital campaigns and creator partnerships, all spreading the message that we're safer unarmed. Taylor has spent more than a decade working in the movement to stop gun violence. She's based in Charlotte, NC.

Theresa Loong creates film, games, and AR/VR/MR experiences. She directed NOVA’s Building Stuff: Change It! and produced games for AMC’s The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. Theresa is directing Game On, a documentary and outreach project featuring game designer Brenda Romero and Bought/Broken, an interactive healing art platform. She received awards from Meta, the IGDA Foundation, and the NEA. A Harvard grad, Theresa received an MFA from Hunter and teaches at Parsons’ Integrated Design Program.

Tracy Fullerton is an experimental game designer, professor, author and founding director (emeritus) of the USC Games program. Her research center, the Game Innovation Lab, has produced a number of influential independent games, including Cloud, flOw, Darfur is Dying, The Night Journey and Walden, a game, which was named “Game of the Year” at Games for Change 2017 and “Developer Choice” at IndieCade 2017. Tracy is the author of “Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games” and “The Well-Read Game: On Playing Thoughtfully.”

Victoria Kao is an MFA candidate at the NYU Game Center with an innate curiosity for developing digital and analog games. Prior to becoming a student, she was the Lead Creative Strategist for Gaming at Snapchat.

Vince Siu is the Founder and Lead Producer at Press Start Studios, an edutainment media studio that designs award-winning games for education and impact, and Founder and CEO at Press Start Academy, a globally recognized education startup creating immersive, game-based academic curriculums that have reached over 5,000 students and 1,000 educators worldwide. For his work in education, Vince has been recognized as an Asia-Pacific Leader by the Obama Foundation, a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum, and a Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow by Tatler Asia.

Yağmur Burhan-Lim is a Technological University Dublin Research Scholar, conducting her PhD research on “A Design History of Irish Playgrounds from 1933 to present.” Alongside her PhD Yağmur is currently a part of an independent research group with New York University Game Center and play360, a non-profit organisation operating in developing countries, to design playground games that encourage bringing playfulness into the curriculum.

Zeynep Burcu Kaya is a game designer, researcher, and lecturer specializing in playful interaction, game aesthetics, and immersive media. She is the Arcade Coordinator for Games for Change Türkiye and an Unreal Authorized Instructor. Her work blends architecture, game design, and feminist design practices to explore meaningful, body-based play experiences.