Sponsors

Markus Gross

Disney Research Zurich started in 2008. By now, 70 researchers conduct over 100 distinct research projects in the wider field of visual computing including graphics, computer animation, facial modeling, video processing, stereo 3D, computational materials, and wireless communication. In this talk I will give an overview of our research and I will present a few projects in greater detail. I will highlight the underlying scientific challenges and explain the potential of the results for the entertainment industry. Use cases include film production and postproduction, television, consumer products, and interactive applications. I will demonstrate how research in visual computing will drive the entertainment business of the future.

Markus Gross is a Professor of Computer Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), head of the Computer Graphics Laboratory, and the Director of Disney Research, Zürich. He joint the ETH Computer Science faculty in 1994. His research interests include physically based modeling, computer animation, immersive displays, and video technology. Before joining Disney, Gross was director of the Institute of Computational Sciences at ETH. He received a master of science in electrical and computer engineering and a PhD in computer graphics and image analysis, both from Saarland University in Germany in 1986 and 1989. Gross serves on the boards of numerous international research institutes, societies, and governmental organizations. He received the Technical Achievement Award from EUROGRAPHICS in 2010 and the Swiss ICT Champions Award in 2011. He is a fellow of the ACM and of the EUROGRAPHICS Association and a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina as well as the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He receives a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2013. Prior to his involvement in Disney Research he cofounded Cyfex AG, Novodex AG, LiberoVision AG, and Dybuster AG.