Dr. Wenzel Jakob

Associate Professor

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Biography

Wenzel Jakob is an Associate Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), leading the Realistic Graphics Lab. He completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University, where he was advised by Steve Marschner. Before joining EPFL, he worked as a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow at ETH Zürich's Interactive Geometry Lab under Olga Sorkine-Hornung. Jakob's research interests include Inverse Graphics, Appearance Modeling, and Physically Based Rendering. He has received several prestigious awards, including the ACM SIGGRAPH Significant Researcher award and the Eurographics Young Researcher Award, as well as the ERC Starting Grant. His group develops the Mitsuba renderer, a research-oriented rendering system, and he is a co-author of the fourth edition of 'Physically Based Rendering: Theory and Implementation.' In addition to his research, Wenzel has created widely used open source frameworks such as pybind11, Instant Meshes, NanoGUI, nanobind, and Enoki. His mission is to connect physically realistic inverse graphics with useful applications across scientific domains. He also enjoys teaching and has been involved in PhD programs in Computer Science Communication Systems.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

— Present

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne • Lausanne, Switzerland

Leading the Realistic Graphics Lab, focusing on research in Inverse Graphics and Physically Based Rendering.

Requirements for École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.2
IELTS
Listening
Required:6.5
Reading
Required:6.5
Writing
Required:6.5
Speaking
Required:6.5
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in a related field Strong foundation in Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Probability Proficiency in programming (Python, Java, or C++)
Application Checklist
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Copy of University Degree(s)
  • Official Transcripts
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Copy of Passport or Identity Card
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Proof of English Proficiency
Specialization Notes

Standard requirements for Engineering and Basic Science Master's programs. Architecture requires an additional portfolio.