Pat Hanrahan
Encyclopedia
Pat Hanrahan is a computer graphics
researcher, the Canon USA Professor of Computer Science
and Electrical Engineering
in the Computer Graphics Laboratory at Stanford University
.
His research focuses on rendering
algorithm
s, graphics processing unit
s, as well as scientific illustration and visualization
.
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in 1985. In the 1980s, he worked at the New York Institute of Technology
Computer Graphics Laboratory, Digital Equipment Corporation
, and at Pixar
. In 1989, he joined the faculty of Princeton University
. In 1995, he moved to Stanford University
.
Animation Studios in the 1980s, Hanrahan was part of the design of the RenderMan Interface Specification
and the RenderMan Shading Language
. More recently, Hanrahan has served as a co-founder and CTO of Tableau Software
. He has been involved with several Pixar productions, including Tin Toy
, The Magic Egg, and Toy Story
.
In 2005, Stanford University was named the first Regional Visualization and Analytics Center (RVAC), where Hanrahan assembled a multidisciplinary team of researchers, focused on broad-ranging problems in information visualization and visual analytics.
and computer graphics.
In 2004, Hanrahan was awarded a Technical Achievement Oscar
, together with Stephen R. Marschner and Henrik Wann Jensen
, for pioneering research in simulating subsurface scattering
of light in translucent materials as presented in their paper "A Practical Model for Subsurface Light Transport.". Nearly a decade earlier, Hanrahan and other Pixar founding employees were awarded a Scientific and Engineering Oscar
, for development of "RenderMan" software providing the means to digitally create scenes or elements that may be composited with other footage.
Dr. Hanrahan has also received the 2006 Career Award for Visualization Research from the IEEE Visualization Conference, the 2003 SIGGRAPH
Steven A. Coons Award for Outstanding Creative Contributions to Computer Graphics, for "leadership in rendering algorithms, graphics architectures and systems, and new visualization methods for computer graphics", and the 1993 SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Achievement Award.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and of the Association for Computing Machinery
(2008), and has received three university teaching awards during his tenure at Stanford University.
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
researcher, the Canon USA Professor of Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
in the Computer Graphics Laboratory at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
His research focuses on rendering
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s, graphics processing unit
Graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
s, as well as scientific illustration and visualization
Scientific visualization
Scientific visualization is an interdisciplinary branch of science according to Friendly "primarily concerned with the visualization of three-dimensional phenomena , where the emphasis is on realistic renderings of volumes, surfaces, illumination sources, and so forth, perhaps...
.
Education and academic work
Hanrahan received a Ph.D. in BiophysicsBiophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1985. In the 1980s, he worked at the New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology is a private, non-sectarian, co-educational research university in New York City. NYIT has five schools and two colleges, all with a strong emphasis on technology and applied scientific research...
Computer Graphics Laboratory, Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
, and at Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
. In 1989, he joined the faculty of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. In 1995, he moved to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Professional career
As a founding employee at PixarPixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
Animation Studios in the 1980s, Hanrahan was part of the design of the RenderMan Interface Specification
RenderMan Interface Specification
The RenderMan Interface Specification, or RISpec in short, is an open API developed by Pixar Animation Studios to describe three-dimensional scenes and turn them into digital photorealistic images...
and the RenderMan Shading Language
RenderMan Shading Language
Renderman Shading Language is a component of the RenderMan Interface Specification, and is used to define shaders. The language syntax is C-like....
. More recently, Hanrahan has served as a co-founder and CTO of Tableau Software
Tableau Software
Tableau Software is an American computer software company headquartered in Seattle, WA, USA. It produces a family of interactive data visualization products focused on business intelligence, and is reportedly anticipating revenue of $30 million to $40 million in 2010.- History :The company traces...
. He has been involved with several Pixar productions, including Tin Toy
Tin Toy
Tin Toy is a 1988 short film using computer animation. It was directed by John Lasseter and produced by Pixar. It was the first testing of PhotoRealistic RenderMan...
, The Magic Egg, and Toy Story
Toy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...
.
In 2005, Stanford University was named the first Regional Visualization and Analytics Center (RVAC), where Hanrahan assembled a multidisciplinary team of researchers, focused on broad-ranging problems in information visualization and visual analytics.
Awards
Hanrahan has received two Academy Awards for his work in renderingRendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
and computer graphics.
In 2004, Hanrahan was awarded a Technical Achievement Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, together with Stephen R. Marschner and Henrik Wann Jensen
Henrik Wann Jensen
Henrik Wann Jensen is a Danish computer graphics researcher. He is best known for developing the photon mapping technique as the subject of his PhD thesis, but has also done important research in simulating subsurface scattering and the sky....
, for pioneering research in simulating subsurface scattering
Subsurface scattering
Subsurface scattering is a mechanism of light transport in which light penetrates the surface of a translucent object, is scattered by interacting with the material, and exits the surface at a different point...
of light in translucent materials as presented in their paper "A Practical Model for Subsurface Light Transport.". Nearly a decade earlier, Hanrahan and other Pixar founding employees were awarded a Scientific and Engineering Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, for development of "RenderMan" software providing the means to digitally create scenes or elements that may be composited with other footage.
Dr. Hanrahan has also received the 2006 Career Award for Visualization Research from the IEEE Visualization Conference, the 2003 SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
Steven A. Coons Award for Outstanding Creative Contributions to Computer Graphics, for "leadership in rendering algorithms, graphics architectures and systems, and new visualization methods for computer graphics", and the 1993 SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Achievement Award.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
(2008), and has received three university teaching awards during his tenure at Stanford University.