Isbister completed her Ph.D. at Stanford University in 1998, in the Communication Department. Her dissertation research explored using ideas from human psychology to build better interactive animated computer characters and agents. She wrote her Master's thesis on how people perceive intelligence in others, and how this applies to interactive character design. She has worked for various character and interface design companies, doing character design, interface design, and creative direction. She has also created interactive art pieces that have been displayed in both real and virtual galleries. Currently, she is leading the Cross-Cultural Digital Environments group at NTT as part of a one-year postdoc research position.
