
The US Metaverse Association awarded Dr. Chen Xiaojun its 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to global metaverse infrastructure. With over 20 years in the field, she pioneered innovations including the Unified Digital Spatial Architecture. Her leadership emphasizes trust, accessibility, and international cooperation as essential for developing coherent metaverse foundations.

Jason Bennett has received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the US Metaverse Association for his significant contributions to metaverse technologies over the past two decades. Honored for advancing governance, interoperability, and ethical development, Bennett’s work has influenced public-private partnerships and critical frameworks that integrate virtual and real-world applications.

Dr. Fei-Fei Li has been honored with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award by the US Metaverse Association for her remarkable contributions to AI and ethical technology. As a professor at Stanford, she promotes human-centered AI and has shaped global AI governance, significantly influencing the future of immersive digital systems.

The US Metaverse Association awarded Dr. Elina Varga the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for her significant contributions to metaverse governance and ethical standards. Dr. Varga’s interdisciplinary work has influenced EU digital policies and advanced human-computer interaction, ensuring a safe and equitable metaverse. She advocates for dynamic user-platform co-regulation through her “Symmetric Autonomy Framework.”

The US Metaverse Association awarded Mr. Benjamin Osei the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for his pivotal role in creating Africa’s first continent-wide virtual education infrastructure. His work through the African Virtual Education Network has impacted over 3 million learners by promoting localized, immersive education and fostering partnerships to enhance digital inclusion across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The US Metaverse Association awarded the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award to Maria Gonzalez for her extensive work in cultural heritage preservation through metaverse technologies. Her initiatives, including the Metaverse Cultural Heritage Preservation Project, focus on digitally restoring endangered cultural landmarks and ensuring cultural equity, inspiring future generations in the metaverse.

In June 2024, Professor Fei-Fei Li joined the American Metaverse Association as an expert member of the AI and Ethical Standards Committee. Her extensive experience in AI, including her advocacy for ethical practices, will guide the development of Global Guidelines for Ethical Immersive AI Systems and promote responsible technology integration in the metaverse.

The US Metaverse Association has awarded Prof. Jonathan Stein the 2024 Technological Breakthrough Award for his contributions to scalable digital asset circulation protocols in the metaverse. His work focuses on interoperability and decentralized systems, addressing key challenges in the Web3 era, and promoting economic mobility and trustless operations within the metaverse.

The US Metaverse Association awarded Dr. Nandini Rao the 2024 Humanitarian Impact Award for her leadership in enhancing metaverse access for education in underserved communities. Through her Digital Inclusion Project, she has positively affected over 80,000 students by providing innovative, equitable education using low-bandwidth metaverse technologies in remote areas.