CHICAGO, Aug. 8, 2022 — (PRNewswire) — SIGGRAPH 2022 presents its lineup for its Featured Speakers program. Industry experts will discuss a variety of topics from artificial intelligence and the metaverse to accelerated computing and digital realities. Their talks will cover themes such as the advancements and evolution in technology, their personal and professional experiences, and how art, design, and technology can be blended to create amazing storytelling. The 49th annual conference will run 8–11 August in person, and virtually 25 July–31 October 2022.

"We're honored to have these distinguished and notable Featured Speakers at SIGGRAPH 2022," said Munkhtsetseg Nandigjav, SIGGRAPH 2022 Conference Chair. "Our community continues to create and merge art, design, and technology, developing and innovating for the future, and our celebrated speakers are a big part of this progression. Having Sougwen Chung, Ed Catmull, Pat Hanrahan, Sarah Bond, and Ime Archibong, among others, share their experiences with us is a unique distinction that only SIGGRAPH can provide. Their talks on how the various disciplines in the SIGGRAPH community can help the industry move forward and grow will be invaluable."

Featured Speaker: Sougwen 愫君  Chung
Monday, 8 August 2022
9–10:15 am PT

Sougwen Chung's performance lecture, 'Seeing Double—Bridging Dualities with Relational Intelligence' questions: Where does "AI" end and "we" begin? Chung's ever-evolving work in human and machine collaboration builds upon a decade-long international journey. Starting with a simple line, the process has led to interdisciplinary insights, philosophical inquiry, and technological invention through pioneering artistic practice. Intertwining perspectives in art and science, Chung's practice envisions alternative futures for the relationship of humans and machines.

Bio:
Sougwen 愫君 Chung is a Chinese-Canadian artist and researcher, and is the founder and artistic director of Scilicet, a London-based studio exploring human & non-human collaboration. Chung is a former research fellow at MIT's Media Lab and is considered a pioneer in the field of human-machine collaboration—exploring the mark-made-by-hand and the mark-made-by-machine as an approach to understanding the dynamics of humans and systems.

Turing Award Lectures
Featured Speakers: Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan
Monday, 8 August 2022
2:15–3:15 pm PT

Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan will discuss the history and advancements of the computer graphics industry in a combined session. In "Shading Languages and the Emergence of Programmable Graphics Systems," Hanrahan charts the path of shading languages; first pioneered by Ken Perlin and Rob Cook, then becoming widely available in Pixar's RenderMan. This talk will review their history and discuss the broader implications for computing and the future of computer graphics.

With "The Wild, Unexpected, Exponential Ride Through Computer Graphics," Catmull will address the early belief in the promise of computer graphics, the depiction of the research in graphics as impractical, the incorporation of graphics in workstations, the role of the SIGGRAPH community leading to advances enabling movies, the incorporation of algorithms in GPUs, and the exponential rise of computing power in those GPUs driven by the game industry leading to completely unexpected results.

Bio:
Pat Hanrahan is the Canon Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in the Computer Graphics Laboratory at Stanford University. His research focuses on rendering algorithms, graphics processing units, and visualization. As a founding employee at Pixar Animation Studios in the 1980s, Hanrahan was part of the design of the RenderMan Interface Specification and the RenderMan Shading Language.

Bio:
Dr. Ed Catmull is a co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and served as president of Pixar for 33 years, while also serving as president of Walt Disney Animation Studios for 13 of those 33 years. Catmull founded three of the leading centers of computer graphics research—including the computer division of Lucasfilm Ltd. and Pixar Animation Studios. Catmull earned B.S. degrees in physics and computer science and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Utah.

Featured Speaker: Sarah Bond
Tuesday, 9 August 2022
9–10 am PT

In her fireside chat, Sarah Bond will discuss "How Digital Worlds Today Can Make the Real World Better Tomorrow." Bond will address how gaming inspires empathy by fostering collaboration and enabling players to experience different perspectives. With 3D interactive experiences evolving from gaming to non-gaming environments, there will be an explosion of incredible content from a wave of new creators. As people experience the world through their screens, now more than ever, these worlds need to be built inclusively to cultivate their unique ability to break barriers, spark imagination, and create empathy.

Bio:
Sarah Bond is the corporate vice president of the Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem at Xbox. She leads the company's engineering, business, and strategy to grow creator success, helping them create and publish more games, and reach more players on any device. Prior to Microsoft, Bond was a senior leader at T-Mobile and an Associate Partner at McKinsey. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Bond sits on the Board of Councilors at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, as well as the Board of Directors at the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Zuora, and CHEGG.

Featured Speaker: Ime Archibong
Thursday, 11 August 2022
2:15–3:45 pm PT

Ime Archibong will speak to how contributors to the computer graphics and interactive techniques community can—and should—help design the future, including the metaverse. In this fireside chat, he will talk about experimentation as an approach to innovation, share some examples of innovative ways people with a design mindset from around the world are more empowered than ever to build, and why it's so important that designers of all expertise help make the next era a reality.

Bio:
Ime Archibong is Head of New Product Experimentation (NPE) at Meta, where he leads the unit testing new product experiences outside of Meta's main platforms. He was previously the company's Vice President of Product Partnerships, where he built the global team that worked with startups and developers to build new products with Meta's platform tools and technology. Archibong is a listed inventor on more than a dozen technical patents. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Yale University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Presented by NVIDIA: NVIDIA Special Address at SIGGRAPH 2022
Featured Speakers: Jensen Huang, NVIDIA; Rev Lebaredian, NVIDIA; Sanja Fidler, NVIDIA/University of Toronto, Ontario; Simon Yuen, NVIDIA; and Steven Parker, NVIDIA
Tuesday, 9 August 2022
9–10 am PT

Computer graphics is one of the most challenging computer science problems of our time. With GPU accelerated computing, AI, and physically accurate virtual world simulation, NVIDIA continues to deliver generational leaps to advancing the field of graphics. 3D worlds are no longer just for fun and games but for solving the world's most challenging important problems. Join NVIDIA's CEO and senior leaders for a special address at SIGGRAPH 2022 to get a glimpse into the future of AI-infused virtual worlds that provide new frontiers for artistic expression and creativity, or perfectly replicate nature's systems — and the research and technology that power them.