Meet Alex Howard, Ph.D

Alex Howard, Ph.D. is co-founder and president of Virbela, an immersive technology company that’s redefining the workplace for global businesses with its virtual worlds and campus environments. Howland co-founded Virbela in 2012, before it was purchased and made public by eXp World Holdings in 2018.

Virbela is building the next generation of products for the Metaverse and VR to help companies solve today’s biggest workplace challenges associated with a remote and dispersed workforce. Howland leads the strategic direction of Virbela and its portfolio of offerings, including Virbela® and Frame™ – continuing to expand both platforms to accommodate not just business workspaces, but classrooms, event spaces, and recreational areas as well.

Previously, Howland was an instructor in the Psychology Department at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), where he taught Industrial and Organizational Psychology to undergraduate students. His expertise in organizational psychology gives him a unique perspective on creating virtual work and education spaces. He designed Virbela specifically to create a unique virtual experience where users feel psychologically safe and are more likely to collaborate, brainstorm, and succeed.  

Howland has a bachelor of science in psychology from Providence College, and his Ph.D. in organizational psychology from Alliant International University, San Diego.