Ritwik Banerji

Ritwik Banerji is an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University of Science and Technology with appointments in the Department of Anthropology and World Languages and Cultures. He teaches human-computer interaction, anthropology, and Asian-American Studies.

His research focuses on the design of artificially-intelligent virtual performers for free improvisation and subjecting these systems to critique by human performers. Banerji examines how sensory perception functions as both biophysiological and sociocultural phenomenon, particularly in musical contexts. His work bridges experimental ethnography, interactive media art, and musical performance, with fieldwork conducted in Berlin, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

His recent publications explore the relationship between AI and humanness in social contexts, as well as egalitarian dynamics in free improvisation. These works appear in prominent journals including Anthropology in Action and Jazz Perspectives.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Fulbright U.S. Young Journalist Fellowship to Germany
• Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies
• Berkeley-Mellon Fellowship

Banerji received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in music with a designated emphasis in new media. His creative work has been presented at Experimental Intermedia (NYC), Ausland (Berlin), Elastic Arts (Chicago), and the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University, where he has collaborated with notable musicians including Tony Malaby, Axel Dörner, and Rob Frye.