Tanya R. Jonker

Dr. Tanya R. Jonker is a leader of interdisciplinary research teams at Meta's Reality Labs Research division. Her team focuses on developing innovative technologies to enable smoother and more intuitive interactions between people, AI, and the surrounding environment. Dr. Jonker holds a Master’s and PhD in Cognitive Science from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Bachelor’s degree from the University of the Fraser Valley. She is the recipient of multiple academic and research honors, including the Alumni Gold Medal for Graduate Research and the Governor General's Academic Silver Medal at the undergraduate level. After completing postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis, she joined Oculus Research (now Meta). Her current research centers on the role of context in human processing and interaction, employing various methodologies including fMRI, EEG, wearable cameras, augmented reality glasses, smart wristbands, and eye-tracking-enabled virtual reality to study and model human behavior. Dr. Jonker has published numerous high-impact academic papers and holds over 15 patents.

• 2020–Present·Meta, Reality Labs Research·Research Science Manager
  • Leads an interdisciplinary team of software engineers, AI researchers, HCI researchers, cognitive scientists, and design researchers to develop AI-driven adaptive interfaces for smart glasses and the future of augmented reality.
• 2017–2020·Oculus Research (now Meta)·Research Scientist
  • Conducted groundbreaking research in human-computer interaction, generative AI, and eye tracking.
• 2014–2017·University of California, Davis·Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Focused on contextual processing and memory in human cognition.

• 2010–2014·University of Waterloo·PhD
  • Field: Cognitive Science
• 2008–2010·University of Waterloo·Master's Degree
  • Field: Cognitive Science
• 2004–2008·University of the Fraser Valley·Bachelor’s Degree
  • Field: Cognitive Science