Kenny Erleben

Kenny Erleben is a Professor and Head of the IMAGE research section at the Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen. His work integrates physics-based simulation with data-driven approaches, advancing fields like robotics, machine learning, and computer graphics. He leads a team of 10 within IMAGE, a section housing 10 faculty, 2 postdocs, and 20 PhDs, with research foci in computer vision, medical image analysis, and numerical methods.

• Education: PhD in Computer Science, University of Copenhagen (2005)

Erleben’s research interests span physics-based modeling and simulation, robotics automation, data-driven modeling, and digital twins. His team develops numerical methods for interactive simulation, bridging real-world data with synthetic models for applications in surgical simulators and computer games.

Scientific production trends include differentiable simulation pipelines, collision detection algorithms, and friction modeling. Key applications involve NVIDIA’s PhysX/Isaac engines, surgical robotics, and medical imaging. His awards include four best paper prizes, reflecting his impact on simulation and robotics.

• Supervision: 15 PhDs, 8 Postdocs, and 170+ theses
• Grants: HORIZON-RIA (€6.19M), EU MSCA-ITN RAINBOW (€4M+), and other Innovationsfond/DFF awards

Erleben’s community leadership includes coordinating the Danish Academy of Digital Interactive Entertainment (DADIU) and reviewing for 300+ scientific papers. He has held roles like Deputy Head of Department (2012-2015) and Scientific Advisor at Alexandra Institute.