Who we are
About McGillXR
We build Montreal's student XR community — through hackathons, workshops, screenings and the people who show up to them.
McGillXR is an independent, student-run organization based in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 2022. We educate, innovate and lead in extended reality (XR) technologies, including augmented, virtual and mixed reality.
Our mission
We aim to foster a community of students who are passionate about learning, experiencing and sharing resources around extended reality. We work to bridge the gap between immersive media industry insiders and students across Montreal. Through our events and activities we provide opportunities for students to develop their skills and knowledge in extended reality and related fields.
Our vision
We envision an inclusive and collaborative environment where students can share their experiences, learn from each other, and push the boundaries of what is possible in extended reality.
What we do
Since our first VR social in May 2022, we have run hackathons, technical workshops, film screenings, industry sessions and tournaments at venues across Montreal.
- Hackathons. NeuroVR brought interdisciplinary teams together to build XR applications for healthcare — fifty students and nine projects in 2024, seventy-six students and thirteen projects in 2025 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children. CareXR, in 2026, was our largest yet: 105 students and 23 projects for child and family wellbeing.
- Workshops. Hands-on sessions covering Unity, object-oriented programming, XR inputs and the Meta Presence Platform, designed for students with no prior XR experience.
- Screenings and industry sessions. Our first VR film festival, run with Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and McGill Engine, brought experimental VR cinema to over a hundred students.
- Socials. Beat Saber tournaments, orientation booths and outings to venues such as the Phi Centre.
Who we work with
We collaborate with researchers, clinicians, festivals, startups and other student organizations across Montreal and beyond — including The Neuro, SilicoLabs, Meshy, Intercollegiate XR, NeurAlbertaTech and Festival du Nouveau Cinéma.
Photo credits
Thank you to the people whose photos appear on this site.
- Raffles Zhu — FNC Info Session, McGillXR x CinéCampus: Everything Everywhere All At Once, NeuroVR Showcase & Social Mixer, NeuroVR Hackathon 24, IPN Graduate Orientation Event
- Joe Alvoeiro — Jenny Wang's portrait
Posters carry their designers' credits on the poster itself. If you took a photo on this site, or know who did, email mcgillxr@gmail.com and we will credit you — or take it down, if you would rather it not be here.