Theresa Jean Tanenbaum is an interdisciplinary game designer, artist, and maker with a passion for exploring the intersection of art, design, and research. She is an assistant professor at UC Irvine in the Department of Informatics and a founding member of the Transformative Play Lab. Her doctoral thesis focused on identity transformation and empathy in digital narratives and games while drawing on theories and methodologies from the performing arts and human-computer-interaction. Dr. Tanenbaum's current work explores the use of MR/AR/VR technologies in live performance, including transforming creative practice in the performing arts through virtual reality systems. She has a diverse range of professional experience, having worked as an Audio Department Head at AV Concepts and as a Research Consultant and Intern at Nokia.