Duane Varan

Duane Varan has extensive experience in the field of audience/consumer research, with a focus on integrating neuro/biometric measures, facial expression analysis, eye tracking, and more to better understand the emotional dimensions of media and brand encounters. Duane has served as the CEO of MediaScience® since 2008, where they oversee lab-based research conducted in New York, Chicago, and Austin. In 2020, they also took on the role of CEO at HARK Connect, a platform for qualitative research with advanced features such as live transcription, AI auto tagging, and augmented reality. Prior to these roles, Varan worked as a professor at Audience Labs - Murdoch University, where they conducted over 75 lab-based studies and pioneered new methods for studying audience behavior. Duane also served as the Chief Research Officer at the Disney Media & Advertising Lab from 2008 to 2013 and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii from 1993 to 1996.

Duane Varan has pursued a PhD degree at The University of Texas at Austin, although the specific field of study and duration of the program are unknown.