1991/BT/CS Professor, University of Toronto Co-Founder, JALI Research Inc. Academic Researcher, Weta Digital
Prof. Karan Sher Singh is a distinguished figure in the field of computer graphics and human-computer interaction, renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to both academia and industry. He holds several Computer Science and Engineering degrees: a BTech. (1991) from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, MS (1992) and PhD (1995) from the Ohio State University.
His research interests lie at the intersection of art, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer Graphics (CG) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI): spanning geometric and anatomic modeling, visual perception, visualization, character and facial animation, sketch/touch interfaces, and interaction techniques for Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). Karan has had a distinguished academic career as a professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto since 2002. He has published well over 150 papers in the very top research journals and conferences in Computer Graphics and Human Computer Interaction. Karan has supervised and graduated over 50 MS/PhD students.
Karan is also well-known for his contributions to industry. Post his PhD in 1996, he designed and developed character animation tools that are a critical part of the animation system Maya, which was awarded with a Technical Oscar by the Motion Picture Academy in 2003. For 25 years Maya has been the industry standard software for professional character animation, and his tools are still used by thousands of artists and animators around the world to create films and games. He has supervised the research behind critically acclaimed design and fabrication software ILoveSketch, Flatfab, MeshMixer (acquired by Autodesk in 2011), and co-founded multiple companies including JanusXR, and JALI Research. His research on audio-driven facial animation JALI, has been used to animate characters in major AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077, and his work on anatomically animated faces, was an important technical advance in the film Avatar: the way of water (best Visual Effects Oscar 2022). Karan’s research is a unique blend of art and science, as seen in his work as the R&D Director for the 2004 Oscar winning animated short film Ryan.
For his outstanding achievements and profound impact in the field of computer science, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and its alumni are proud to confer Professor Karan Sher Singh with the Distinguished Alumni Award for the year 2024.
