Dr. Andy Nealen

Biography

Andy Nealen is an Associate Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Department of Computer Science at USC Viterbi. His research and teaching span the fields of Game Design, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics, and Game Engineering. Nealen's work focuses on increasing the variety of computer-based tools and their application environments, emphasizing minimalist principles. He obtained his Dipl.-Ing. in Architecture and Structural Engineering from TU Darmstadt, where he developed a strong foundation in understanding shape, motion, and color perception in humans. His research interests include creating accessible designs for complex systems, demonstrated through his work on the Apple Design Award-winning game Osmos, and contributions to Sketch-Based Modeling, Game-Space Exploration, and Game Heuristics. He earned his PhD in Computer Science from TU Berlin and is a regular speaker at international conferences on game development and computer graphics, contributing frequently to ACM SIGGRAPH.

Research Interests