Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie is an award-winning innovation and disruptive technology specialist, AR/MR game designer, professional speaker and tech researcher who has been helping organisations understand and harness key technology issues and trends for nearly 15 years.

Described as “leading light in innovation and technology,” Kate is always well ahead of the curve. She authored the first ever research paper on internet memes in 2003 as well as the first ever paper on “social media friending” in 2005, when Facebook was not even a year old. Her PhD, which examined privacy on Facebook which saw her interviewing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is one of the top 10 most downloaded theses of all time from the Curtin University library. Currently, Kate is a technology columnist with the Business News (WA).

Drawing on over experience making mixed reality games which have been played all over the world, including at the National Theatre (London), Toronto International Film Festival and IndieCade (San Francisco) Kate is now advising and developing in the virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality space (VR/AR/MR).

In addition to being named as one of the most influential women in games by MCV Pacific for the past two years running, Kate has won multiple international awards for her work, including the ACS Digital Disruptor ICT Professional of the Year (2016) and WAITTA Incite’s Achiever of the Year (2015/2016). She has spoken at top academic and industry conferences, including SXSW and TEDxPerth. Currently, Kate runs Games We Play, a game consultancy which she founded to create bespoke games for education and social impact. She is also teaching at Curtin University’s Business School, where she is also an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Department of Internet Studies. She is also an Affiliate Member of Professional Speakers Australia (PSA).