Students and Postdocs of Professor Demetri Terzopoulos


I have had the privilege of advising and working with some incomparable graduate students and postdocs, and I am proud of the diversity of outstanding dissertations that my students have produced (linked below), among them several that won UCLA awards and one that won the ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award.

Current Postdocs and Researchers

Dr. Xiaowei Ding
Dr. Masaki Nakada

Current PhD Students

Ali Hatamizadeh *
Abdullah-Al-Zubaer Imran
Alan Litteneker
Garett Ridge
Tao Zhou


* ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award winner
* UCLA HSSEAS Edward K. Rice Outstanding Doctoral Student Award winner
* UCLA HSSEAS Edward K. Rice Outstanding Master's Student Award winner
* UCLA Computer Science Outstanding Graduating PhD Student Award winner
* UCLA Computer Science Outstanding Graduating MS Student Award winner
* Northrop Grumman Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award winner
* Cisco Outstanding Graduate Research Award winner

Graduated Doctoral Students

  1. Tomer Weiss - "A constraint-based approach to crowd simulation and layout synthesis" (2018) UCLA CS
  2. Masaki Nakada - "Deep learning of neuromuscular and sensorimotor control with biomimetic perception..." (2017) UCLA CS (JASSO Scholar)
  3. Noah Duncan - "...New computational tools for open-ended geometric design" (2017) UCLA CS
  4. Eduardo Ribeiro Poyart - "Parallel, data-driven simulation and visualization of the heart" (2016) UCLA CS
  5. Matthew Wang - "Simulation, stitching, and interaction techniques for large-scale ultrasound datasets" (2016) UCLA CS
  6. Sharath Kumar Gopal - "Unified deterministic/statistical deformable models for cardiac image analysis" (2016) UCLA CS
  7. Gergely Klár - "Simulation of granular media with the material point method" (2016) UCLA CS (Fullbright Fellow)
  8. Xiaowei Ding - "Automated quantitative analysis of cardiac medical images" (2015) UCLA CS
  9. Chenfanfu Jiang * - "The material point method for the physics-based simulation of solids and fluids" (2015) UCLA CS
  10. Jingyi (Franklin) Fang - "The modeling and animation of myriapoda" (2015) UCLA CS
  11. Wenjia Huang - "Door and doorway etiquette for virtual humans" (2014) UCLA CS
  12. Jin Kyu Gahm - "Microstructural feature-based processing and analysis of diffusion tensor MRI" (2014) UCLA CS
  13. Krešimir Petrinec - "Patient-specific interactive ultrasound image simulation with soft-tissue deformation" (2013) UCLA CS
  14. Weiguang (Justin) Si - "Realistic simulation and control of human swimming and underwater movement" (2013) UCLA CS
  15. William R. Hewlett II - "Creating a cognitive agent in a virtual world: Planning, navigation, and natural language generation" (2013) UCLA CS
  16. Lap-Fai (Craig) Yu * - "Data-driven optimization for modeling in computer graphics and vision" (2013) UCLA CS
  17. Gautam Prasad - "Brain mapping methods: Segmentation, registration, and connectivity analysis" (2013) UCLA CS
  18. M. Alex O. Vasilescu - "A multilinear (tensor) algebraic framework for computer graphics, computer vision, and machine learning" (2009) UofT CS
  19. Sung-Hee Lee * * - "Biomechanical modeling and control of the human body for computer animation" (2008) UCLA CS
  20. Faisal Z. Qureshi - "Intelligent perception in virtual sensor networks and space robotics" (2007) UofT CS
  21. Qinxin Yu - "A decision network framework for the behavioral animation of virtual humans" (2007) UofT CS (NSERC Postgraduate Scholar)
  22. Wei Shao - "Animating autonomous pedestrians" (2006) NYU CS
  23. Sageev Oore - "Digital marionette: Augmenting kinematics with physics for multi-track desktop performance animation" (2001) UofT CS
  24. Petros Faloutsos - "Composable controllers for physics-based character animation" (2001) UofT CS
  25. Tamer F. Rabie - "Animat vision: Active vision in artificial animals" (1999) UofT ECE
  26. David L. Tonnesen - "Dynamically coupled particle systems for geometric modeling" (1998) UofT CS
  27. Radek Grzeszczuk - "NeuroAnimator: Fast neural network emulation and control of physics-based models" (1998) UofT CS
  28. Timothy J. McInerney - "Topologically adaptable deformable models for medical image analysis" (1997) UofT CS (NSERC Postgraduate Scholar)
  29. Xiaoyuan Tu * - "Artificial animals for computer animation: Biomechanics, locomotion, perception, and behavior" (1996) UofT CS
  30. Hong Qin - "D-NURBS: Dynamic non-uniform rational B-splines" (1995) UofT CS
  31. Luiz Velho - "Piecewise descriptions of implicit surfaces and solids" (1994) UofT CS
  32. Dimitris N. Metaxas - "Physics based modeling of nonrigid objects for vision and graphics" (1992) UofT CS

Graduated Master's Students

  1. Kevin Huynh - "Solving the problem of whole-language simulation: A case study from Tongan loanword adaptation" (2018) UCLA CS
  2. Xingjian Yan - "Fast and accurate self-supervised CNNs for affine and deformable lung registration" (2018) UCLA CS
  3. Dan Fang - "MVFR: Multiple viewpoint face recognition" (2018) UCLA CS
  4. Ziran Ling - "Deep learning for human biomechanical doodling" (2018) UCLA CS
  5. Qi Qu - "See-Flower: Fine-grained flower image classification using deep transfer learning" (2018) UCLA CS
  6. Taylor Caulfield - "YOLOTrainer: Automatic training set creation with distance information and object tracking" (2018) UCLA CS
  7. Luna X. Li - "Predicting mobile handovers using domain knowledge independent models" (2018) UCLA CS
  8. Therese Horey - "An augmented reality android application utilizing named data networking" (2018) UCLA CS
  9. Zhihao Wu - "Pulmonary nodule detection via 3D convnets in Tensorflow" (2018) UCLA CS
  10. Pranav Sodhani - "Face recognition using space variant sensors" (2017) UCLA CS
  11. Theresa Tong - "Evolution of prey and predator behavior in a simulated environment" (2017) UCLA CS
  12. Tonislav Ivanov - "Early prediction of viable blastocysts using automatically extracted embryo division timings" (2017) UCLA CS (Nat Def Sci & Eng Fellow)
  13. Tianlin Chen - "The anxiety mitigator: Finding, classifying, and presenting helpful web-based articles" (2017) UCLA CS
  14. Praveen Sundar Govindarajan - "Learning-based AI for autonomous combat games" (2016) UCLA CS
  15. Yuxi Zhang - "Simulation of an ecosystem involving predators and prey" (2016) UCLA CS
  16. Brian Kim - "Virtual keyboard: An alternative to physical keyboards with a touchless interface based on finger movements" (2016) UCLA CS
  17. Huan-Sony Nguyen - "An implementation of ray tracing and path tracing" (2016) UCLA CS
  18. Alan Ulfers Litteneker - "Virtual cinematography using optimization and temporal smoothing" (2016) UCLA CS
  19. Eric Kim - "A part-based, multiresolution, tensorfaces approach to image-based facial verification" (2016) UCLA CS
  20. Han Wang - "AcFR: Active face recognition using convolutional neural networks" (2016) UCLA CS
  21. Tomer Weiss - "Optimizing the design of physical objects for fabrication" (2016) UCLA CS
  22. Ziqiang Shi - "Creating low-poly art the easy way" (2016) UCLA CS
  23. Ali Kouhzadi - "A comprehensive study of the seminal Monte-Carlo-based image synthesis algorithms" (2016) UCLA CS
  24. Timothy David Chan - "A self-calibrating zoom stereo system" (2015) UCLA CS
  25. Sunny Suthar - "Crowd-sourced 3D reconstruction using uncalibrated stereo correspondence" (2015) UCLA CS
  26. Zhinan Xu * - "Stereo visual odometry with windowed bundle adjustment" (2015) UCLA CS
  27. Daniel Roshan Doolabh - "An object-oriented approach to Lindenmayer systems using recursion" (2015) UCLA CS
  28. Justin Allan Bass - "DNA sequence alignment non-gap penalties and gains" (2015) UCLA CS
  29. Nicholas Brett Marcott - "Digit detection using adaptive spline models" (2015) UCLA CS
  30. Tianyuan Qin - "Dynamic destruction of geometry using Voronoi-based fracture patterns" (2015) UCLA CS
  31. Jorge Ivan Munoz - "An autonomous motor-based biomechanical model of a salamander" (2014) UCLA CS
  32. Dhavalkumar Suthar - "Simulating ants: Behavior modeling and pheromone-based communication" (2014) UCLA CS
  33. Xiaolong Jiang - "Kinematic modeling and simulation for human reaching behaviors" (2014) UCLA CS
  34. Andre Abrahamian - "Shallow water simulation for swimming creatures" (2014) UCLA CS
  35. Jing Li - "Realistic water and complex scene rendering" (2014) UCLA EE
  36. Vanna Bushong - "Facial feature detection for automatic head modeling" (2013) UCLA CS
  37. Ming Gao - "FEM simulation of 3D deformable solids and collision handling" (2013) UCLA CS
  38. Xinli Cai - "The development of VSIM: Triggering embedded resources and new features for 3D content management" (2013) UCLA CS
  39. Alexander Rickett - "Position based cloth simulation" (2013) UCLA CS
  40. Ali Gunes - "An implementation of separate human eye blink detection in real time using online templates" (2013) UCLA CS
  41. Kevin Broom - "Real-time two-dimensional fluid dynamics using the CPU" (2013) UCLA CS
  42. Matthew Wang - "Vision evolution: Adapting body and brain in a competitive virtual environment" (2012) UCLA CS
  43. Konstantinos Sideris - "Parallelized Incomplete Poisson Preconditioned Cloth Simulation" (2012) UCLA CS
  44. Alexander Lee - "Shopping mall site plan generation using simulated annealing" (2012) UCLA CS
  45. Jason Au - "An L-system evolutionary algorithm for motion synthesis" (2012) UCLA CS
  46. Damian Ancukiewicz - "GPU implementation of an exemplar-based image inpainting algorithm" (2012) UCLA CS
  47. Joyce Kuo - "Making a splash: Rendering realistic water splashes in a swimming pool" (2012) UCLA CS
  48. Miri Kim - "Generating door opening and entering motions for virtual humans" (2012) UCLA CS
  49. Palash Agrawal - "Internet services for collaborative data sharing (ISCDS)" (2012) UCLA CS
  50. Wilson Yan - "Biomechanical simulation of the human hand and forearm" (2012) UCLA CS
  51. Chenfanfu Jiang - "Simulation of elastic solids with efficient self-collision handling" (2012) UCLA CS
  52. Ankit Arora - "Data-driven locomotion of virtual humans in the unity game development tool" (2011) UCLA CS
  53. Jasleen Singh - "A framework for non-photorealistic 2D animation" (2011) UCLA CS
  54. Michael Au-Yeung - "Real-time photometric stereo using a computer screen" (2011) UCLA CS
  55. Xiao Lei - "Multi-layer construction of KD-trees for dynamic ray tracing" (2011) UCLA CS
  56. Gautam Prasad - "Segmentation of brain MR images using a PCA atlas and nonrigid registration" (2010) UCLA CS
  57. Krešimir Petrinec - "Ultrasound trainer: Data acquisition, volume reconstruction, simulation and visualization" (2012) UCLA CS
  58. Thomas Wolfley - "Genetic programming for image compression" (2010) UCLA CS
  59. Kangwon Lee - "The simulation of swarm behavior in ant colonies" (2009) UCLA CS
  60. Michelle Fang - "Playing animation under time and space constraints in a virtual world" (2009) UCLA CS
  61. Sean Thompson - "Interactive image-source techniques for virtual acoustics" (2002) UofT CS (NSERC Postgraduate Scholar)
  62. Howard Zhang - "Physics-based muscle effects for real-time character animation" (2002) UofT CS
  63. Grigore Pintilie - "Interactive cutting of surface meshes for computer-aided surgical planning" (2001) UofT CS (NSERC Postgraduate Scholar)
  64. Stewart Andrews - "Interactive generation of feature curves on surfaces: A minimal path approach" (2000) UofT CS
  65. Faisal Z. Qureshi - "Constructing anatomically accurate face models using computed tomography and cyberware data" (2000) UofT CS
  66. Qinxin Yu - "Synthetic motion capture for real-time virtual worlds" (1998) UofT CS (NSERC Postgraduate Scholar)
  67. Petros Faloutsos - "Physics-based animation and control of flexible characters" (1995) UofT CS
  68. Radek Grzeszczuk - "Automatic learning of muscle-based locomotion through control abstraction" (1994) UofT CS
  69. Yuencheng Lee - "Construction and animation of functional facial models from range/reflectance data" (1993) UofT CS
  70. Timothy J. McInerney - "Finite element techniques for fitting deformable models to 3D data" (1992) UofT CS (NSERC Postgraduate Scholar)

Graduated Bachelor's Students

  1. Emily Whiting - "Realism in 3D virtual spaces: Improving texture quality ... through application of HDR imagery" (2004) UofT Eng. Sci.
  2. Desmond Rivet - "Human animats and active vision systems in realistic 3D virtual worlds" (2001) UofT Eng. Sci.
  3. Daniel Horner - "A practical framework for the extraction and visualization of slices from volumentric data" (1998) UofT Eng. Sci.
  4. Charlton Wang - "Implementation of the live wire technique for the segmentation of medical images" (1998) UofT Eng. Sci.
  5. Kristin Hofstee - "Simulation of diffusion in 3D virtual worlds" (1997) UofT Eng. Sci.
  6. Oliver Bengtsson - "Computational biological model of the physiology and behavior of aquatic animals" (1995) UofT Eng. Sci.

Former Postdoctoral Scholars, Fellows, and Research Scientists

  1. Theodore F. Gast - Postdoctoral Scholar (2017–18) UCLA Math/CS
  2. Chenfanfu Jiang - Postdoctoral Scholar (2015–17) UCLA CS/Math
  3. Antonio Roque - CIA Postdoctoral Fellow (2010–12) UCLA CS
  4. M. Alex O. Vasilescu - Research Scientist (2009–13) UCLA CS (2001–05) NYU CS
  5. Eftychios Sifakis - Postdoctoral Scholar (2007–10) UCLA CS/Math
  6. Sung-Hee Lee - Postdoctoral Scholar (2008–09) UCLA CS
  7. Jinho Park - Korea Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2008–09) UCLA CS
  8. Tatsuo Yotsukura - Postdoctoral Scholar (2006–07) UCLA CS
  9. Jinwook Kim - Postdoctoral Fellow (2005–06) UCLA CS, NYU CS
  10. Mauricio Plaza-Villegas - Research Scientist (2003–04) NYU CS
  11. Jared M. Silver - Research Scientist (2003–04) NYU CS
  12. Yuencheng Lee - Research Scientist (2001–03) NYU CS
  13. Ghassan Hamarneh - Research Scholar (2000–01) UofT CS
  14. Michel Pitermann - Postdoctoral Scholar (1998–00) UofT CS & Queens U
  15. Jacques-Olivier Lachaud - Lavoisier Fellow (1998–99) UofT CS
  16. Tamer F. Rabie - Postdoctoral Scholar (1999–99) UofT CS
  17. Jianming Liang - Research Scholar (1998–99) UofT CS
  18. Timothy J. McInerney - NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow (1998–99) UofT CS
  19. Jorge C. Lucero - Postdoctoral Scholar (1996–97) UofT CS & Queens U
  20. Paul Fieguth - NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow (1996–96) UofT CS

Demetri Terzopoulos