Ivan Viola
- Professor, Computer Science
- Principal Investigator, Nanovisualization
- Associate Professor, TU Wien
Professor Viola’s expertise lies in scientific visualization and visual computing. His research focuses on multiscale visualization and modeling of complex biological systems, ranging from cellular organisms to atomistic-level details.
Biography
Ivan Viola received an M.Sc. in Computer Science (Dipl.-Ing.) in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Computer Science (Dr. techn.) in 2005 from TU Wien, Austria. In 2006, he joined the University of Bergen (UiB), Norway, as a postdoctoral researcher and contributed to the establishment of a new visualization research group at UiB’s Department of Informatics.
In 2008, Viola was promoted to associate professor and, in 2011, to full professor at the University of Bergen (UiB). During this period, he also served as a scientific adviser at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway.
Throughout his career, he has received numerous honors and recognitions for his contributions to computing visualization, including the Austrian Computer Graphics Award in 2016, the Eurographics Dirk Bartz Prize for Visual Computing in Medicine in 2013 and three Best Paper Honorable Mention awards at the IEEE VIS conference.
Aside from serving as an area or program chair at conferences such as the IEEE Visualization Conference, EuroVis, and Eurographics, Viola has been a reviewer and IPC member for several conferences in computer graphics and visualization. He was an associate editor of the Computer Graphics Forum journal and is currently serving as an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.
In addition to co-authoring over a hundred scientific papers, he is a member of Eurographics and the IEEE Computer Society’s Visualization and Graphics Technical Community (VGTC).
Research Interests
Viola’s research group seeks to develop next-generation computer graphics and technologies for visualizing life forms in all scales. Focusing on scalable approaches, the research group introduces new methods to model, construct and visualize the entire complex biological cell to atomistic detail. This technology allows people to interact, explore, study and understand life at the nanoscale.
Professional Profile
Awards and Distinctions
- The Austrian Computer Graphics Award 2016 for the Best Technical Solution, 2016
- The 1st Place Eurographics Dirk Bartz Prize for Visual Computing in Medicine, 2013
- Member of Eurographics, 2024
- Member of VGTC IEEE Computer Society, 2024
Professional Memberships
- Executive Committee Member, Eurographics, 2020 - 2022
- Co-Chair, EG Eurographics, 2021
- Papers Co-Chair, EG EuroVis, 2020
- Papers Co-Chair, EG EuroVis, 2019
- Panels Co-Chair, IEEE VIS, 2018
- Panels Co-Chair, IEEE VIS, 2017
- Papers Chair, SCCG, 2017
- Visualization Storytelling Contest Co-Chair, IEEE Pacific Visualization, 2017
- Papers Chair, IEEE Pacific Visualization, 2016
- Co-Organizer, Austrian Computer Science Day, 2015
- Track Chair, EG EuroVis State-of-the-Art-Reports, 2015
- Track Chair, EG EuroVis State-of-the-Art-Reports, 2014
- Workshop Chair, EG Visual Computing for Biology and Medicine, 2014
- Organizational Chair, EG EuroVis, 2011
- Poster Chair, EG Eurographics, 2010
- Search Committee Member for the Editor-in-Chief, IEEE TVCG, 2011
- Guest Editor, Special Issue on Illustrative Visualization, Computers & Graphics, 2010
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Computer Science, Vienna University of Technology, Austria, 2005
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Computer Science, Vienna University of Technology, Austria, 2002
Quote
Computer graphics and visualization technologies can show digital counterparts of our physical reality, typically addressing the macroscopic world we are familiar with. I create new technologies that can show the very tiny world around us, how atoms arrange into a complex structure up to living organisms, the virtual universe of the nanocosmos as we know it to date.
Teaching
Professor Viola's courses.
Questions and Answers
Why KAUST?
Performing focused research to solve a substantial problem will neither be realized in one paper nor in one three-year grant. In case a substantial problem needs decade-long attention of a scientific team? There is no other place in the world which offers scientists generous resources to perform groundbreaking research for a longer period of time without the hassle of frequently submitting research proposals about the topic over and over again.
My vision is to be able to interactively visually represent a living mammalian cell. To achieve this challenge me and my team need some time. We are in a good way, but it will take us a while to achieve our vision. Therefore, the continuity of resources for performing scientific discoveries on nanovisualization over a longer period of time is an essential condition.
Why Nanovisualization?
Nanovisualization offers a unique opportunity to convey every structural detail of whole-cell models starting from the big picture down to tiniest atomistic detail. It also provides visual guidance for biotechnological applications, such as in-silico design for DNA-Nanotechnology. As such it will be an indispensable technology in the next industrial revolution.
