معرفی
Rabindra Ratan (Robby Ratan) is a full Professor and AT&T Endowed Chair at Michigan State University's Department of Media & Information, with affiliations in Psychology, Educational Psychology & Technology, and the Center for Gender in Global Context. His research focuses on human-technology interaction effects, particularly in virtual reality and gaming.
- Ph.D. in Communication from USC Annenberg
- M.A. & B.A. in Communication-related fields from Stanford
Key research areas include: the Proteus effect (avatar embodiment influencing behavior), gender stereotypes in gaming, virtual meeting psychology, and blockchain's role in metaverse economies. He pioneered teaching university courses entirely in VR environments.
His recent work examines time dynamics in VR education, avatar-induced behavioral conformity, and digital identity effects. Articles span Media Psychology, Computers & Education, and CyberPsychology journals.
- 2023 MSU IT AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award
- 2017 MSU Teacher-Scholar Award
- 2014-2015 MSU Lilly Teaching Fellow
As SPARTIE Lab director, he leads VR/AR research teams while maintaining industry partnerships with Meta, Ford, and Techsmith Inc. His interdisciplinary approach includes creating academic raps and edutainment content for outreach.
