Dr. Sonia Tiwari is a fantastic Learning Experience Researcher and Designer whose current research explores the ethical design of virtual influencers for children. She is, in fact, the creator of the world’s first virtual influencer designed for children’s education!

Sonia started her career in the gaming industry as a character design artist before pursuing a PhD in Learning, Design, and Technology at Penn State University where she is now an adjunct professor of Learning Design.

Sonia offers learning experience design consultations to EdTech startups, educator entrepreneurs, learning designers, and other education innovators. She volunteers as a Play Ambassador for the Genius of Play (American Toy Association) and she is also one of the judges for the Children and Family Emmys!

Find more about Sonia's work: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniastic/ - http://soniatiwari.com/ - https://creativeservices.psu.edu/microbe-game/ References from the episode: - https://kidschemicalsolutions.com/ - https://dannyjoestreehouse.com/ - https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/lil-miquela-digital-avatar-instagram-influencer.html - https://furwee.ai/ - https://www.playlab.ai/