Daniel Pillis

Assistant Professor in Virtual Production at Emerson College | Research Affiliate at MIT

New York City Metropolitan Area

About

Greetings! I am an assistant professor in Virtual Production at Emerson College, where I direct research in The Human Interaction Simulation (THIS) Lab. I am an expert in spatial computing, human AI interaction, and interactive computer graphics, with a particular interest in multi-sensory simulations. Previously at MIT, I was part of the Tangible Media group led by Dr. Hiroshi Ishii. Prior to that, I was mentored by Dr. Ivan Sutherland at Carnegie Mellon University, where I was a researcher in residence in the soft robotics laboratory of Dr. Christopher Atkeson in the Robotics Institute. I've taught courses in art and engineering at Virginia Tech and Princeton University, and exhibited widely on projects exploring the human experience and storytelling with technology. More information about my research and interests can be found below: https://www.siggraph.org/inside-siggraph/member-profiles/profile/?member=daniel-pillis-2

Experience

  • Assistant Professor in Virtual Production at Emerson College
    Sep 2024 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos

    - Research in virtual production technology using state of the art 2240 x 1440 1.9mm pixel display - Leading the future of large scale immersive interactive environments across Boston and Los Angeles campuses - Directing published research in generative media, immersive environments, and generative AI filmmaking - Mentoring and teaching graduate and undergraduate students in best practices for virtual production and generative AI

  • Research Assistant at MIT Media Lab
    Mar 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 5 mos

    Media Arts & Sciences researcher, hosted in the Tangible Media Group. -Researching immersive tangible technology with Varjo XR -Experiments in mixed reality with HoloLens 2 & Meta Quest Pro -Virtual production and AI workflows

  • Diversity & Inclusion Commitee at ACM SIGGRAPH
    May 2018 - Present · 8 yrs 3 mos

  • Research Advisor at Harvard University
    Jan 2024 - Aug 2025 · 1 yr 8 mos

    Conflux is a student organization at Harvard dedicated to exploring and expanding the intersection between new media, experimental arts, and creative technology. https://confluxcollective.org/ - Mentor yearlong international exhibit program - Oversee project management and assist in concept development - Provide support to Harvard students to help with technical skill development and project coordination

  • Academy of Motion Pictures Art & Sciences Summer Learning Program Mentee at Academy Software Foundation
    Jun 2023 - Aug 2023 · 3 mos

    Program sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to support the next generation of computer simulated cinema