Alexei Sourin

PBS
Ph.D., M.Eng.
Senior Member IEEE

Associate Professor, College of Computing and Data Science
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Office: S3-B1c-95       
Email: assourin { at } ntu.edu.sg

   

 

Dr. Alexei Sourin got his MEng (1983) and PhD (1988) degrees in Russia in the prestigious National Research Nuclear University MEPHI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) where he also worked on challenging research tasks of visualization of complex crystal structures. Back in 1993, Dr. Sourin came to Singapore to become a faculty at the School of Applied Science (now College of Computing and Data Science) of the renowned Nanyang Technological University. Alexei Sourin is working on research projects and teaching in the areas of computer graphics, virtual reality, user-computer interaction, computer vision with AI and sonification of geometry. Alexei Sourin is a Senior Member of IEEE and a member of ACM SIGGRAPH. He was also elected a Chair of the IFIP workgroup “Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality”. Dr. Sourin has many prestigious research awards, and he was invited to give talks at various scientific events. He wrote several textbooks on computer graphics and visualization which are published by Springer and Prentice Hall. He is also a coordinator of the annual International Conferences on Cyberworlds—immersive virtual communities that immensely augment the way we interact, participate in business and receive information throughout the world.

 

More details follow:

Last updated on May 5, 2026


Education:

1988 PhD  in Computer Graphics from the National Research Nuclear University MEPHI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)
1983 MEng summa cum laude in Computer Engineering from the National Research Nuclear University MEPHI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)
 

Experience:

2000-present Associate Professor (tenured)

College of Compouting and Data Science, CCDS
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

 
1999-2000 Associate Professor
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Russia.
 
1993-1999 Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor
  School of Applied Science (currently SCSE)
  Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
 
1987-1993 Research Fellow , Part-time Lecturer
1983-1987 Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, part-time PhD Student
National Research Nuclear University MEPHI, Russia

Teaching:

 Computer Graphics and Visualization
  Virtual Reality

 Fundamentals of Computing


Research interests:

Computer graphics, virtual reality, user-computer interaction, computer vision with AI, sonification of geometry


Membership:

Senior Member of IEEE

Member of ACM SIGGRAPH
Chair of IFIP WG5.10 Computer Graphics and Virtual Worlds 2012-2018



Publications:

The full list of publications is in Pub.pdf. The papers can be downloaded from ResearchGate. I will be also happy to email them to you by request.

Recent Books and Book Chapters (out of 15)

  1. Alexei Sourin. Making Images with Mathematics. From Small Formulas to Digital and Virtual Creativity. Springer Nature, 2026.
  2. Alexei Sourin. Making Images with Mathematics. Springer Nature, 2021.
  3. Alexei Sourin. Case Study: Shared Virtual and Augmented Environments. In Research and Development in the Academy, Creative Industries and Applications, ed. R.A. Earnshaw, Springer Nature, pp. 49-63, 2017.


Invited and Keynote Talks:

  1. Visual Immersive Mathematics, 4th International Conference on Education, Knowledge and Information Management (ICEKIM 2023), Zhengzhou, China, January 13, 2023.
  2. Theremins-Music from the Air, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore, 20 August 2019.
  3. Visual Immersive Mathematics. From Ancient Greeks to Digital Natives, TU Darmstadt, Germany, 15 December 2015.
  4. Nanyang Technological University and New Media, AOTULE 2015, NTU, 2 November 2015.
  5. Using Haptic Devices in Medical Research and Training, Medical Computing Symposium, Singapore-Germany, NTU, September 2015.
  6. Tangible Images, conference "Digital Culture & Creative Industry Forum 2015", Hangzhou, Zhejiang Normal University, China, 30 May 2015.
  7. Tangible Images, conference "Fusion of Image and Graphics & HCI", Hangzhou, Zhejiang University, China, 28 May 2015.
  8. Tangible Images, symposium "The Art of 3D Stereo Media" at NTU School of ADM, 22 April 2015.
  9. Digital Revolutions and their Implications. From Athenians to Avatars, Rotary Club of Singapore, Singapore, 5 November 2014.
  10. Image-driven Simulation of Knee Arthroscopy, Workshop-Summer School on 3D Virtual Patients, IMI-NTU, Singapore, 5 November, 2012
  11. Visual Immersive Mathematics and Tangible Images, Graz University of Technology, 28 September, 2012.
  12. Medical Training Projects at SCE Lab of Immersive Math in Fraunhofer IDM@NTU,  TTSH-NTU Joint Seminar, Singapore, 16 May 2012
  13. Visual Immersive Mathematics and Tangible Images, Nanjing Normal University, 27 February, 2012.
  14. Tangible Images, Interactive Digital Media Symposium, Fusionopolis, Singapore, August 2, 2011
  15. Visual and Haptic Rendering. Function-based Approach, COST D37 Action “GridChem” ELAMS-QDYN Joint WG Meeting, Thessaloniki, Greece, 27 May, 2010
  16. Function-based Interactive Digital Media, Microsoft Research Asia eHeritage workshop, Taipei, Taiwan, May 18-19, 2010
  17. Visual and Haptic Rendering in Shared Virtual Worlds, ICCSA 2010, Fukuoka, Japan, 25 March 2010

  18. Cyberworlds and Games, The 8th National Conference on Virtual Reality and Visualization, CCVRV'2008, Fuzhou, China, 19 September 2008

  19. Cyberworlds and Games, The 2nd National Conference on Education Games and Virtual Reality, EGVR'2008, Hangzhou, China, 21 September 2008
  20. Function-based Web Visualization and Haptic Rendering, The 2nd Workshop on Digital Media and its Application in Museum & Heritage,Chongqing, China, 11 Dec 2007

  21. Cyberworlds: Reality and Trends, The 5th conference of Digital Library and Cultural/natural Legacy Digitization", Suzhou, China, 9 Dec 2007

  22. Cyberworlds: Reality and Trends. Function-based Web Visualization and Haptic Rendering, The State Key Lab of CAD&CG. Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 7 Dec 2007

  23. Cyberworlds: Reality and Trends. Function-based Web Visualization and Haptic Rendering, The School of Software Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China, 6 Dec 2007

  24. Function-based Shape Modeling and Web Visualization, The 2006 International conference on Cyberworlds, Lausanne, 28-29 November, 2006.

  25. Function-based Shape Modeling, Web Visualization and Media Grid Applications, The University of Manchester, Visualization Centre, 22 September 200

  26. Function-based Shape Modeling, Web Visualization and Media Grid Applications, The University of Leeds, School of Computing, 25 September 2006

  27. Function-based Shape Modeling, Web Visualization and Media Grid Applications, The University of Wales, Bangor, School of Computer Science, 26 September 2006

  28. Function-based Shape Modeling, Web Visualization and Media Grid Applications, The University of Wales, Swansea, Dept of Computer Science, 28 September 2006.

  29. From a Small Formula to Cyberworlds, TSCG'2005 workshop of ICCSA'2005, 9-12 May, 2005.

  30. From a Small Formula to Cyberworlds, The first ICT Regional Workshop on VR, Korea, Seoul, 17-20 January, 2005.

  31. Virtual Orthopedic Surgery, Singapore General Hospital , November, 1998.

  32. Function Based Virtual Computer Art, 7th PRIS Seminar in NUS on 01 Aug 2001.

  33. Function Representation of Time-Dependent Set-Theoretic Operations, Int. Workshop "Shape Modeling: Parallelism, Interactivity and Applications", Fukushima, Japan, 12-16 Sept., 1994.


Research Students:

Graduated PhD students:

  1. Konstantin Levinski "Interactive Function-based Shape Modeling", 2001-2007
  2. Liu Qi "Function-based Web Visualization", 2004-2007
  3. Wei Lei "Function-based Collaborative Shape Modeling and Visualization", 2006-2011
  4. Lai Danbo "Interactive Shape Modeling for Mathematics Visualization", 2009-2014
  5. Shahzad Rasool "Virtual Touch", 2010-2014
  6. Chen Kan “Efficient Interactive Multi-Resolution Rendering for Translucent Materials under Area Lights” (with Dr. Henry Johan, Fraunhofer Singapore), 2011-2017
  7. Koa Ming Di, “Efficient Interactive Multi-Resolution Rendering for Translucent Materials under Area Lights” (with Dr. Henry Johan, Fraunhofer Singapore), 2011-2017
  8. Johannes Edelsbrunner “Domain Specific Procedural Modeling of 3D Shapes” (with Dr. Sven Havemann, TU Graz),  2012-2018
  9. Bin Weng "Thin Deformable Tissues Modeling for Simulation of Artroscopic Knee Surgery", 2012-2018
  10. Zhang Xingzi "Image-inspired Haptic Interaction" (with Prof. Michael Goesele, TU Darmstadt), 2013-2018
  11. Cui Jian, "Mid-Air Hand Interaction with Optical Tracking for 3D Modelling" (with Prof. Dieter Fellner and Arjan Kuijper, TU Darmstadt),  2013-2019
  12. Mohammad Chegini "Visual Interactive Data Analyzis Supported by Novel Interaction Modalities" (with Prof Tobias Schrek, TU Graz), 2017-2020
  13. Dai Wenting "Automated Smart Manufacturing Control Based on Image Processing and Machine Learning" (with Dr. Marius Erdt, Fraunhofer Singapore), 2017-2022
  14. Wang Hanqin "Problems of Geometry Sonification and Sound Visualization" (with Dr. Li Xiaoli, Institute for Infocomm Research, Singapore), 2021-2026

Graduated MEng (by research) students:

  1. Konstantin Levinski "Interactive Function-based Shape Modeling", 2001-2002
  2. Lai Feng Min "Function-based 3D Web Visualization", 2000-2002
  3. Vasily Volkov "Modelling and animation of cloth objects", 2001-2002 (with Prof Li Ling, Curtin University)
  4. Nguyen Hoang Anh, David "Improving Visual Quality of Synthetic Terrain using Weathering Simulation", 2006-2008
  5. Sundar Roman, "Efficient Terrain Triangulation and Modification for Games Applications", (with Prof Zheng Jianmin, NTU), 2006-2009
  6. Anthony Chong "Grid-based Shape Modeling and Visualization", 2004-2010
  7. Ho Chiau Wai "Intelligent Cyber-instructors", 2009-2012
  8. Teo Cheng Chuan "Cyber-learning with Cyber-instructors", 2007-2013

Postdocs/Researchers:

  1. Dr. Konstantin Levinski (Research Associate, 2008-2009)
  2. Dr. Yun Sheng (Research Fellow, 2009-2011)
  3. Dr. Lei Wei (Research Associate, 2010-2011)
  4. Dr. Shamima Yasmin (Research Associate, 2010-2013)
  5. Dr. Pingjun Xia (Research Fellow, 2012-2013)
  6. Dr. Shahzad Rasool (Research Fellow, 2014-2016)
  7. Mr. Guo Song (Research Associate, 2018)
  8. Mr. Abdul Mujeeb (Research Associate, 2017-2019)
  9. Dr. Ihar Volkov (Senior Research Fellow, 2018-2019)
  10. Dr. Chao Zhang (Research Fellow, 2022)