The University of Central Florida announced on Mar. 24 that two of its faculty members, Carolina Cruz-Neira and Gregory Welch, have received prestigious recognitions from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) at the 2026 Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Conference.
The awards highlight significant achievements in virtual reality, a field that continues to influence digital experiences across various industries. Recognition from the IEEE Visualization and Graphics Technical Community (VGTC) is considered a major honor within this community.
Cruz-Neira, who serves as director of UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training and Agere Chair Professor of Computer Science, was given the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes an individual’s lifetime contribution to the field. In response to receiving this honor, Cruz-Neira said: “This award is dear to me because I was part of the founding team of the IEEE VR community back in 1992, when I was still in the early stages of my career — a Ph.D. student. It is especially meaningful to see that, having been there from the very beginning, the VR community recognizes [my contributions]. This honor truly belongs to the teams of students and collaborators who have worked alongside me to build and shape the field over the years. Awards like this also help sustain and elevate UCF’s excellence, strengthening its national standing and reinforcing its reputation as a preeminent university.”
Welch received the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Service Award for his dedication, support, and service contributions to virtual or augmented reality communities. Welch said: “There is so much that we can and should do to help our communities. It takes people to step up, commit and invest time to make things happen. I hope my service and leadership inspire others.”
Both Cruz-Neira (2007) and Welch (2018) are past recipients of another key recognition from VGTC—the Technical Achievement Award—and were inducted into VGTC’s inaugural VR Academy class in 2022.
UCF stands among only a few institutions with multiple recipients honored by these IEEE VGTC awards.
