Rook Bridson

Rook Bridson is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), affiliated with the Imager and SCL labs. He holds a PhD from Stanford University (2003) and degrees from the University of Waterloo (MMATH '99, BMATH '98). His research focuses on fluid simulation, physical effects in computer graphics, and computational physics, with applications in visual effects and animation. Bridson has contributed to industry through co-founding Exotic Matter AB, creators of the Naiad fluid simulation software acquired by Autodesk. He has been recognized with an Oscar Technical Achievement Award and multiple teaching awards at UBC.

Education:

• PhD in Computer Science, Stanford University, 2003
• Master of Mathematics (MMATH), University of Waterloo, 1999
• Bachelor of Mathematics (BMATH), University of Waterloo, 1998

Research Interests: Bridson’s work spans fluid dynamics, computational physics, and their applications in film and animation. His research emphasizes realistic simulation techniques, including fluid animation with explicit surface meshes, particle-based methods, and numerical algorithms for handling complex physical phenomena. He has developed influential tools like Naiad, used in major films such as Avatar and Harry Potter.

Industry Contributions:

• Co-founder of Exotic Matter AB (developer of Naiad)
• Senior Principal Research Scientist at Autodesk
• Contributions to studios like Weta Digital and Double Negative VFX

Grants & Awards:

• Oscar Technical Achievement Award (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
• 2012 and 2008 CS Department Teaching Awards (UBC)
• Best Technical Paper Award (ACM SIGGRAPH/Eurographics Symposium on Computer Animation)

Labs & Teams: Active in UBC’s Imager Lab and SCL Lab, focusing on fluid simulation, geometric modeling, and real-time animation techniques. Collaborates with industry partners on advancing visual effects technology.