Sofia Mattson studies how people respond to the places built around them, from hospitals, workplaces, and classrooms to their virtual counterparts. She holds an M.S. in Human-Environment Relations from Cornell University and a B.S. in Psychology, summa cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Her Cornell thesis, Localizing Virtual Nature, looked at how regional familiarity shapes the restorative effects of VR nature scenes. Before that she spent several years in neuroscience and clinical research labs, co-authoring work on working memory and threat in Frontiers in Psychology and Biological Psychology. She has also hosted the podcast Telyn Tales and written and designed reports for the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures.

At 71 North she works in the Innovation Lab, helping students develop their XR work into publications. She is especially interested in Prairie Restoration VR, Vespa-Mode, and Mindful Moments, and in helping student research become replicable and relevant to industry.