Julie Dorsey

This information is accurate as of the fellowship year indicated for each fellow.

Julie Dorsey is a professor of computer science at Yale University, where she teaches computer graphics. With architecture as a driving application, she has studied a wide range of problems in computer graphics, including sketch-based interfaces for early conceptual design, acceleration methods for real-time rendering, and the creation of detailed photorealistic renderings. Her contributions also include algorithms for lighting and acoustical design and visualization. She is particularly well known for her research in modeling the appearance of materials; for example, she pioneered techniques to model the visual richness of irregular metal patinas and eroded stone. Recently, there has been considerable interest in computer modeling systems for design, particularly in architecture; however, little of this work has considered the design of buildings in the context of natural scenery. At Radcliffe, Dorsey will develop an interactive system for designing in complex natural contexts, using photographs and sketches as the fundamental building blocks. This work promises to produce methods that combine the ease of sketching freely on paper and taking photographs with the advantages of recording and manipulating designs on the computer. Dorsey received undergraduate degrees in architecture and graduate degrees in computer science from Cornell University. She has received several professional awards, including Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, and a Sloan Research Fellowship.