Image credit: SIGGRAPH Asia
Prepare for an exciting adventure as we introduce the incredible team behind SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 in Tokyo! Our dedicated experts are ready to bring you the best in digital media, promising an unforgettable experience. Join us this December for a journey filled with innovation and inspiration at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 in Tokyo, Japan!
Takeo Igarashi, Conference Chair, Professor, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Dr. Igarashi received a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 2000. He joined the CS department as an assistant professor in 2002 and was promoted to a professor in 2011. His research interest is in user interfaces and interactive computer graphics in general. He is known for the development of a sketch-based modeling system (Teddy) and a multi-touch shape deformation method. He received the SIGGRAPH Significant New Researcher Award and CHI Academy Award.
Fun fact: Takeo loves teddy bears too much and decided to work on it as a Ph.D. research project.
Yasuaki Kakehi, Art Gallery Chair, Professor, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Yasuaki is an interactive media researcher and media artist. After working at Keio University and the MIT Media Lab, he has been actively engaged in research and teaching at the University of Tokyo since 2018. He has received a long list of awards in both scientific and artistic fields, including the ACM CHI 2017 Best Paper Award, an Excellence Award at the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival in 2020, and an Honorary Mention Award at the STARTS Prize in 2022.
Fun fact: Yasauki recently started fishing with his kids during the holidays. As well as interaction with the digital world, interaction with the invisible underwater natural world seems to be profound.
Yuichiro Katsumoto, Art Papers Chair, Associate Professor, Tokyo Denki University, Japan
Yuichiro Katsumoto is an artist and educator based in Saitama, Japan. He experiments with manipulating linear objects such as strings, strips, and springs to display letters and pictures. He trained in video production, physical computing, and design thinking at Keio University SFC. He received a Ph.D. in 2010 and worked as a researcher at the National University of Singapore. He returned to Japan in 2018 and has been teaching design and practicing art at Tokyo Denki University since 2019.
Fun fact: The one and only man who got a Ph.D. by swinging a plastic umbrella. Search “Amagatana”.
Yoriko Ito, Computer Animation Festival Chair, Production Designer/Art Director/Educator/Consultant
With over 30 years in the U.S. animation industry, Yoriko has worked as an art director and visual development artist for U.S. major studios. Additionally, she serves as a consultant for visual development and an educator. Recent highlights include her role as art director in the “Super Mario Brothers” film collaboration with Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment and her contribution to “Ultraman Rising” for Netflix. Passionate about mentoring the next generation.
Fun fact: Yoriko loves painting landscapes outdoors and is committed to creating a boot camp in beautiful rural areas in Japan, “Let’s Art in Inaka!”
Hui Huang, Courses Chair, Distinguished Professor, Shenzhen University, China
Hui Huang is a Distinguished Professor at Shenzhen University, serving as Dean of the College of Computer Science and Software Engineering while also directing the Visual Computing Research Center. Her research encompasses computer graphics, computer vision, and visual analytics, focusing on geometry, points, shapes, and images.
Fun fact: Hui Huang’s life might seem quite boring, consisting only of research and teaching. She’s not involved in any sports, nor does she engage in specific hobbies. Her reading material is largely confined to dry technical subjects. But, somehow, she quite enjoys it and feels a unique sense of contentment … 😂
Haoran Xie, Educator’s Forum Chair, Associate Professor, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
Haoran Xie is an associate professor at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). After receiving a Ph.D. in computer graphics from JAIST in 2015, he worked in the computer science department at University of Tokyo until 2018. He has broad research interests in computer graphics, human-computer interaction, robotics, machine learning, and user interfaces, especially focusing on human-centered generative AI.
Fun fact: Haoran’s first international conference was SIGGRAPH Asia 2011 in Hong Kong, which was the beginning of his academic career.
Yuki Ban, Emerging Technologies Chair, Project Lecturer, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Yuki Ban is currently a project lecturer at the University of Tokyo. He received a Ph.D. in 2016 and worked as a researcher at Xcoo Inc for one year. He was then an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo until 2022. His research interests include cross-modal interfaces and biological measurement. Recently, he has been particularly interested in utilizing these technologies to induce relaxation.
Fun fact: When Yuki’s not in the lab, he’s enjoying the busy yet joyful days with his newborn son.
Ken Anjyo, Featured Sessions Chair, OLM Digital, Inc./IMAGICA GROUP Inc./Victoria, University of Wellington, Japan
Ken Anjyo has served as a researcher, engineer, and R&D advisor for Japanese Anime/3DCG/VFX production over the years. He is also an active industry-academic collaborator, such as, but not limited to, leading a Japanese government-sponsored project with CG researchers, engineers, and mathematicians. He has authored several SIGGRAPH and IEEE papers on character animation, anime lighting, and image-based rendering. He chaired SIGGRAPH Asia 2018.
Fun fact: Teaching mathematics to his 4-year-old grandkids is fun!
Koji Mikami, Games Chair, Professor, Tokyo University of Technology, Japan
Koji Mikami, Ph.D., is from KEIO University (Media & Governance). He worked at Nissho Iwai Corporation and MK Company as a producer. He is co-founder of “Creative Lab.” at Tokyo University of Technology (TUT), where research on animation, game, and CG production technology are conducted. Currently, he is a professor at the School of Media Science, TUT. Now his research interests lie in game design and production technology for game and computer animation.
Fun fact: Koji sometimes wakes up with a super unique hairstyle.
Stephen Spencer, Publications Chair, Graphics System Engineer, University of Washington, United States
Stephen is a senior computer specialist in the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, in Seattle, as part of the IT support team. He’s been involved with ACM SIGGRAPH since the early ‘90s and has served as chair of the ACM SIGGRAPH Publications Committee for many years. Additionally, he has served two terms on the ACM Publications Board. He’s a father of two young adults, enjoys bicycling, running, and playing the guitar.
Fun fact: Stephen has run 11 full marathons.
Takahito Tejima, Real-Time Live! Chair, Engineering Director, Polyphony Digital Inc., Japan
Takahito Tejima is a seasoned CG engineer whose career spans over several decades. He began his career in the 1990s at Namco, Polyphony Digital, and Pixar Animation Studios, focusing on CG pipelines and tool development for both games and films. At Pixar’s R&D department, he was a founding developer of significant open-source projects such as OpenSubdiv, OpenUSD, and Hydra. He is currently back at Polyphony Digital, working on the GranTurismo series.
Fun fact: Takahito’s dad ran a photo shop, and since he didn’t have his own room, he often played in the darkroom of his dad’s workshop!
Cal Chiu, Student Volunteers Chair, Graphics Engineer, Unity Technologies, Japan
Cal Chiu is a graphics engineer working at Unity Technologies. After graduating from INSA de Lyon with a MEng and Tohoku University with a MSci, he joined Capcom to work on the RE ENGINE’s rendering systems and has been credited in titles such as “Monster Hunter,” “Street Fighter,” and “Resident Evil.” He now focuses on high-performance, real-time graphics and areas such as GPU-driven techniques, light transport, and character rendering.
Fun fact: Cal can hold a conversation in five different languages.
Ruizhen Hu, Technical Communications & Posters Chair, Distinguished Professor, Shenzhen University, China
Ruizhen Hu is a Distinguished Professor at Shenzhen University, China. She received her Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Zhejiang University in 2015 and was honored with the Asia Graphics Young Researcher Award in 2019. Her research interests span computer graphics, 3D vision, and robotics, with the goal of endowing embodied agents with enhanced capabilities to perceive and interact with the 3D world.
Fun fact: Ruizhen loves playing with her two lovely sons.
Shamir Arik, Technical Papers Chair, Professor of Computer Science, Reichman University, Israel
Prof. Ariel (Arik) Shamir is a faculty member and the former Dean of the Efi Arazi school of Computer Science at Reichman University in Israel. He received his Ph.D. in computer science in 2000 from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Prof. Shamir has more than 150 publications and several patents. He was recognized as one of the most highly cited researchers on the Thomson Reuters list in 2015 and received the AsiaGraphics Outstanding Technical Contributions Award in 2023. He specializes in computer graphics, image processing computer vision, and machine learning.
Fun fact: Arik also enjoys photography and painting.
Yun Suen Pai, XR Chair, Lecturer, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Yun Suen Pai is currently a lecturer at the School of Computer Science, University of Auckland, and the Empathic Computing Lab (ECL) associate director. His research interest is in redefining a future-inclusive space by leveraging XR. He received his Ph.D. from Keio Media Design (KMD) and was a Postdoc at ECL until 2021. He was then a senior assistant professor at KMD, directing the Physionetic Interactions Group until 2023.
Fun fact: If Yun Suen isn’t spending time at work, he is either checking out watches or messing with his corgi, Bambi.
Yukio Andoh, Local Committee Chair, Senior Service Designer, EXA CORPORATION, Japan
I have been fascinated with computer graphics ever since I was a child, when I first encountered them, I used for special effects in movies. As an adult, I made CG my career. I am also the chair of SIGGRAPH Tokyo, the local chapter of SIGGRAPH. I am very pleased to be able to conduct SA24 in Tokyo! I hope everyone who attends will enjoy Japanese culture and the wonders of CG/VFX, VR/AR, and digital art.
Fun fact: Open your curious mind to the fullest and have fun!
Ayumi Kimura, Local Committee / Conference Chair Support, OLM Digital, Inc., Japan
Ayumi Kimura is actively serving as the R&D manager of OLM Digital, a Japanese production company for anime, 3DCG, and VFX. She has been working behind the scenes to play a vital role in industry-academic collaboration projects, Japanese government-sponsored research projects, and organizing international conferences/symposiums. She co-chaired SIGGRAPH Asia 2021 and is a member of the ACM International Resources Committee.
Fun fact: Ayumi enjoys traveling, visiting hot springs, relaxing in quiet cafés, binge-watching dramas, and getting hooked on games with her family.
Yuki Igarashi, Local Committee, Ochanomizu University, Japan
Yuki Igarashi an associate professor in Department of Information Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Japan. She received her Ph.D. in computer science in 2010 from the University of Tokyo. She is interested in Human Computer Interaction, Computer Graphics, and Education.
Fun fact: She likes playing the piano. She plays the piano and sings everyday with her three children!
Takako Shinohara, Local Committee, Computer Graphic Arts Society (CG-ARTS), Japan
Takako Shinohara serves as the executive director of CG-ARTS. After graduating from university and gaining experience in the private sector, she joined the research group that preceded CG-ARTS and became one of its founding staff members. Since then, she has been actively involved in creating CG educational materials and textbooks, planning and administering certification exams, organizing student CG contests, promoting the Japan Media Arts Festival by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and planning and conducting seminars. Through these efforts, she has dedicated herself to promoting cultural development, fostering industry-academia collaboration, and advancing education in the fields of CG and image information.
Fun fact: I like traveling and playing sports like tennis, skiing, and golf. One day, I hope to open a cozy café on the first floor of my house.
Hideki Todo, Local Committee, Takushoku University, Japan
Hideki Todo is an associate professor in Department of Computer Science, Takushoku University. He received his Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology in 2013 from the University of Tokyo. He also has experience working in the film industry as a researcher at OLM Digital. His research interests lie in the area of Non-Photorealistic Rendering (NPR), with a particular focus on stylized shading and stroke transfer.
Fun fact: Hideki enjoys playing really intense football in the park with his 5-year-old son
Isamu Hasegawa, Local Committee, General Manager, SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD., Japan
Isamu Hasegawa began his career in software development at IBM and Nomura Research Institute before transitioning to the video game industry at Square Enix. He contributed to the development of in-house game engine and worked on FINAL FANTASY XV. Subsequently, he engaged in industry-academic collaborations in software engineering. Currently, he serves as the department head of the research and development department.
Fun fact: When I went to pick up my child from daycare, I always secretly solved the Rubik’s Cube there, so the teachers were creeped out, thinking, “The Rubik’s Cube fixes itself every day.”
Rianti Hidayat, Local Committee, GungHo Online Entertainment,Inc., Japan
Rianti is an Indonesian video-game concept artist, character designer, and illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan. Her clients have included UNESCO, Unity, and, recently, she has illustrated for Disney’s “Lorcana” and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. You can see her name in the credits of Ninjala for Nintendo Switch.
She has been actively involved as a Student Volunteer since SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 in Singapore, becoming the program chair for SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 and serving as the Local Committee Chair for SIGGRAPH Asia 2021. She loves the community, which is the reason she is still involved to this day.
Fun fact: She likes to attend concerts and recently started learning tap dance.
Mikio Fujimura, Local Commitee, DeNA Co., LTD., Japan
As Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) at DeNA, he is responsible for a wide range of tasks including recruitment and organizational development for the game business. He has also served on the steering committee of Computer Entertainment Developers Conference (CEDEC) for many years, contributing to the development of the industry as a whole.
Fun fact: When I travel to a region for work, I look forward to the delicious local food and sake.
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