Al Barr

Alan H. Barr is a Professor of Computer Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), affiliated with the Division of Engineering and Applied Science and the Computation & Neural Systems (CNS) department. He is a founding member of the Caltech Computer Graphics Group and a leader in developing mathematically rigorous methods for computer graphics and predictive modeling. His research focuses on enhancing computational modeling accuracy through approaches like interval analysis and constraint-based systems. Notable contributions include deformable models, quaternion interpolation, and cellular simulation frameworks. He has advised over 20 graduate students, many of whom became industry leaders at Pixar, Microsoft Research, and academic institutions like NYU and Brown University. Awards include the ACM SIGGRAPH Achievement Award (1988) and ACM Fellow (1995).

Research Interests:

• Predictive modeling with error bounds
• Scientific visualization and MRI data analysis
• Biophysical systems simulation (e.g., cellular organelles)
• Self-assembling robotic structures for space colonization
• Mathematically robust computer graphics techniques

Key Collaborations:

• Caltech Biological Imaging Center (Beckman Institute)
• JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
• New computational substrates research (quantum/DNA computing)

Recent Work: Expanding into computational biology, medical imaging optimization, and high-confidence systems for managing complex computational interactions. Active in interdisciplinary projects across Caltech divisions.