I am a new media artist, interdisciplinary researcher, and Associate Professor of Digital Media Design at the University of Virginia (UVA). My work explores the political and theoretical implications of visual media technologies within our culture and cross-culturally.
My research/practice is fundamentally hybrid and is informed by my background in art, design, technology, and media studies. I employ and experiment with existing and emerging media for art making, storytelling, and installation. I frequently collaborate with artists, musicians, choreographers, and theater-makers to explore the interplay of new media and performance, focusing on the burgeoning aesthetic opportunities for enhancing narrative and immersing audiences in live events.
My artwork has been exhibited in galleries and film festivals throughout the US and internationally. I have served as a juror, curator, and programmer for various exhibitions, film festivals, and conferences. I also design projection design, projection mapping, and interactive media installations for traditional theatre, immersive theatre, and live performance. I have received two Helen Hayes Award nominations for my media design work for live performances.
I’m committed to transdisciplinary and collaborative modes of scholarship; my work has thrived in programs such as Virtual and Augmented Reality for the Digital Humanities Institute (V/AR-DHI), Digital Societies and Social Technologies Institute (DSST), Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory Scholars (HASTAC). I regularly present my research at national and international conferences and have published in journals such as New Media & Society, The Communication Review, Journal of Dance Education, Media and Communication.
At the University of Virginia, I lecture and teach courses on digital art, projection design, integrated interactive media, and immersive media. I am a faculty co-lead at the Karsh Institute’s Digital Technology for Democracy Lab and have previously served as a faculty fellow at the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH) as well as New College Curriculum. In 2023, I completed the semester-long leadership development program for UVA called Leadership in Academic Matters (LAM). Facilitated by leading experts in academic leadership, LAM focuses on recognizing, supporting, and nurturing those with demonstrated leadership characteristics and future potential across various roles.
Currently, I hold leadership roles: I serve as the Chair of ACM SIGGRAPH (2023-2024), the International Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, and am a board member for the New Media Caucus. In the past, I led the strategic and financial planning, execution, and management of SIGGRAPH 2016 as the Conference Chair.
I was born in Tehran, Iran. I hold a Ph.D. in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication from the University of Texas-Dallas, an M.F.A. in Video/Digital Art from California State University Northridge, and a B.A. in Graphic Design and Visual Communication from the Art University of Tehran.