Eric Veach is a Canadian
computer scientist
A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science.
Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (al ...
known for his research on improvements to
Monte Carlo sampling
Monte Carlo methods, or Monte Carlo experiments, are a broad class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. The underlying concept is to use randomness to solve problems that might be determi ...
in
Computer Graphics, which won him two technical academy awards.
[
]
Education and career
Veach obtained a Bachelor of Mathematics
A Bachelor of Mathematics (abbreviated B.Math or BMath) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for successfully completing a program of study in mathematics or related disciplines, such as applied mathematics, actuarial science, computational ...
degree in 1990 at the University of Waterloo.[ In 1997, he graduated with a PhD from ]Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
. His thesis is titled ''Robust Monte Carlo Methods for Light Transport Simulation'', a highly cited paper in Computer Graphics.[
After graduating from Stanford, Veach worked for Pixar from 1998 to 2000, collaborating with colleague Tom Lokovic to create realistic hair for animated movie ]Monsters, Inc.
''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American computer-animated Monster movie, monster comedy film produced by Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, B ...
.[ They also published a paper titled ''Deep Shadow Maps'', which won them an academy award in 2014.][ He joined Google in 2000, where he was the technical leader for AdWords and AdSense and contributed to route-planning algorithms in Google Maps.]J. W. Graham Medal The J.W. Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation is an award given annually by the University of Waterloo and the University of Waterloo Faculty of Mathematics to "recognize the leadership and many innovative contributions made to the University o ...
, an annual award granted to a distinguished alumnus who had studied computer science there.[
Veach won a 2014 Academy Scientific and Engineering Award for "foundational research on efficient Monte Carlo path tracing for image synthesis", especially on ]multiple importance sampling
Multiple may refer to:
Economics
* Multiple finance, a method used to analyze stock prices
*Multiples of the price-to-earnings ratio
*Chain stores, are also referred to as 'Multiples'
*Box office multiple, the ratio of a film's total gross to th ...
,[ described in his 1997 thesis.][ He also won a 2014 ]Academy Award for Technical Achievement
The Technical Achievement Award is one of three Scientific and Technical Awards given from time to time by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (The other two awards are the Scientific and Engineering Award and the Academy Award of Me ...
together with Thomas Lokovic for contributions to deep shadowing technologies.[ Veach told '' CTV News'' he hadn't done any work in computer graphics for 15 years, but was pleasantly surprised to see his old works gain recognition.][
]
Personal life
Veach is a strong believer in environmental causes and serves as the chair of the Rainforest Trust
Rainforest Trust is a US-based nonprofit environmental organization focused on the purchase and protection of tropical lands to strategically conserve threatened species. Founded in 1988, Rainforest Trust was formerly known as World Parks Endowm ...
board.[
Journalist Farhad Manjoo mentioned Veach and two of his non-American colleagues at Google in an article titled "Why Silicon Valley Wouldn't Work Without Immigrants".][ Manjoo's article attempted to explain why newly inaugurated President Donald Trump's attempts to squeeze off the flow of immigrants to the US was dangerous. He argued that America disproportionately benefits from allowing foreigners like Veach to work in the US.
]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veach, Eric
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Canadian computer scientists