Alan H. Barr

Alan H. Barr is a Professor of Computer Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), within the Division of Engineering and Applied Science. He holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1973-1983). His career includes roles as Research Fellow (Caltech, 1984), Assistant Professor (1984-90), Associate Professor (1990-98), and Professor (1998–present). He served as Executive Officer for Computer Science from 2000-2001.

• Education:
  • B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1973
  • M.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1976
  • Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1983

His research focuses on the mathematical foundations of computer graphics, biophysical modeling, and space mission design. Key interests include predictive simulation methods, computational biophysics, GPU computing, and collaborations with NASA's JPL on the InterPlanetary Superhighway. He has pioneered methods like elastically deformable models and constrained optimization frameworks.

Publications highlight advancements in ray tracing, deformable models, and medical imaging. Notable awards include the ACM SIGGRAPH Achievement Award (1988) and ACM Fellow (1995).

• Awards:
  • ACM SIGGRAPH Achievement Award (1988)
  • ACM Fellow (1995)

Barr has advised numerous students whose work spans Pixar, NVIDIA, and academia. He leads the Caltech Computer Graphics Group, collaborating on projects like the Global Virtual Hospital and Goal-Directed MRI.