Stephen Brooks

Stephen Brooks is a Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, actively contributing to research and education in computer graphics, visualization, and human-computer interaction. He is affiliated with the Human-Computer Interaction, Visualization & Graphics research cluster and currently supervises multiple graduate students on diverse projects.

• PhD in Computer Science, University of Cambridge (2004)
• MSc in Computer Science, University of British Columbia (2000)
• BSc, Brock University (1998)

His research focuses on computer graphics and visualization, particularly non-photorealistic rendering, image editing, 3D geospatial systems, ocean visualization, and real-time rendering of natural phenomena. He has also worked in sound synthesis and motion editing. His recent publications show a strong emphasis on visual analytics, network flow visualization, and ocean science applications.

His work spans interdisciplinary domains including environmental science, genomics, cybersecurity, and digital art. He has developed visualization tools for ocean science under a major CFREF-funded initiative and created novel methods for rendering stained glass, mixed media art, rivers, and ocean surfaces. His research integrates perception, automation, and user interaction to enhance visual analysis.

Notable scientific contributions include work on tone mapping optimization, uncertainty visualization using chromatic aberration, semantic object clouds, and hybrid 2D/3D GIS. His publications appear in top venues such as IEEE TVCG, ACM Transactions, and SIGGRAPH.

• NSERC Discovery Grants
• Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF)
• NSERC CREATE
• Mitacs Accelerate and Globalink
• CFI New Opportunities Grant
• Cyber Security Research and Development Grant

He has supervised numerous PhD, Master’s, and undergraduate students in areas including ocean visualization, tone mapping, network security, VR, and geospatial analytics. He teaches courses in Game Design, Visualization, Computer Animation, and Network Computing, emphasizing project-based and interdisciplinary learning.

He leads research in visual analytics for network data (FloVis), ocean science, and mixed reality collaboration. His lab develops interactive systems for data exploration in domains ranging from marine biology to cybersecurity. Future work includes expanding ocean-first climate visualization and enhancing mixed presence collaboration in immersive environments.