Alex Howland, Ph.D. is co-founder and president of Virbela, a virtual world for work, learning and events, and one of the pioneering metaverse companies. Howland created Virbela in 2012, before it was purchased and made public by eXp World Holdings in 2018. 

Virbela is redefining the workplace for global businesses, building the next generation of products for the Metaverse and VR to give organizations and people greater choice and control over how they work. Alex leads the development of Virbela’s portfolio of offerings, which includes Virbela® and Frame™ -- continuing to expand both platforms to accommodate not just business workspaces, but classrooms, event spaces, and recreational areas as well.  

Prior to co-founding Virbela, Howland was an instructor in the Psychology Department at University of California, San Diego, 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.