
AJAY KAPUR
DIRECTOR OF MTIID & Associate Provost for Creative Technologies
Ajay Kapur defines himself as a “Musical Scientist.” The “Scientist” in him organizes experiments on how computer programming, electrical engineering, and digital signal processing can be used in artistic practices. The “Musician” in him gathers all the current technology from his laboratory into modules that can be used in the concert hall, writing modern music while blending traditional techniques. A large body of his work is centered around how humans and machines can interact symbiotically to create new forms of artistic expression. More specifically, Ajay's research revolves around one question: “How do you make a computer improvise with a human?” Using the rules set forth by Indian Classical music, he has been driven to build new interfaces for musical expression by using microcomputing, sensor technology, and artificial intelligence, while designing and building programmable mechatronic musical instruments. He now leads a team of artists and engineers exploring the intersection of music, composition, storytelling, science, and technology in the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra.

MADELINE FALCONE

JOHN TEJADA

JORDAN HOCHENBAUM
Jordan Natan Hochenbaum is Chief Creative Officer and Vice President of Engineering at Kadenze, a company he co-founded that is redefining online learning for the arts and creative technology. He also serves as faculty in the Music Technology and Digital Media programs at California Institute of the Arts, where he teaches creative coding, engineering, computational & generative graphics, music production, and performance. His work involves leveraging machine learning in the arts, designing novel interfaces for musical performance, multimodal sensor systems, and playing and composing in a wide range of musical genres. Since 2012 he has released over 18 records on renowned electronic music labels, and regularly performs and DJs internationally. As co-founder of FlipMu, Jordan has explored large-scale interactive environments (such as the recent 4-story multitouch cube for RedBull and Vita Motus), real-time data sonification, generative audio-visual systems, and musical interface design with open source aesthetics. Co-founding the Noise Index, he has exhibited installations and public artworks that question our relationships with technology, in New York, London, Paris, and Los Angeles.

MIKE LEISZ
Mike Leisz is a Los Angeles based visual artist who's work revolves around the perceptual systems of computing technology. His work has been exhibited internationally at Tate Modern Britain, Ars Electronica, and the Artec Adressaparken research park in Trondheim, Norway.

EMILY EVANS

CHRISTINE MEINDERS
Christine Meinders is an emerging technologies designer who uses collaborative design approaches to create AI design tools and develop community-driven, social AI projects, from a cultural perspective. Her practice focuses on:
UX of AI/ML
Participatory Design
Speculative and Critical Design
She is founder of the community AI research and design group, Feminist.AI, which utilizes participatory approaches to co-create AI projects. The general focus of her research is the design and user experience of Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on culture. In addition to design research, a varied experience in hands-on prototyping and workshops also shapes her approach to design inquiries. She holds an MFA in Media Design Practices from ArtCenter College of Design and an MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University.

BOB CLENDENEN

JOHN BAFFA
John Baffa has been in the professional audio business for more than 25 years; primarily as a recording engineer. John has held positions on both the faculty and staff at the Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts since 2000. John is currently the Technical Director Performance Production as well as faculty within the Music Technology: Interaction, Intelligence and Design (MTIID) Specialization department. He founded TV Tray Recording Studio in 2003, working from the top of a TV tray as he learned the ins and outs of recording. From those humble beginnings, the studio grew and developed over the years, building an impressive list of clients and projects spanning a huge range of genres.Simultaneously continuing to mix live sound, he honed his chops in such places as the Alex Theater in Glendale and West Hollywood’s legendary Troubadour, as well as in venues all over the world, including the Sydney Opera House. In 2014, John was recognized with his first Grammy award for his work recording and mixing Partch on Plectra and Percussion Dances. Over his career, John has worked with a diverse set of performers, mixing such artists as Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio, Johnny Cash, Mike Patton, Henry Rollins, The Melvins, Pulley, Ten Foot Pole, Vinny Golia, Ullrich Krieger, Vicki Ray, David Rosenboom, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Vonettes, Plotz, Dr Mint, Banyon, the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, Anne Hall, Towse, and Ackland.

MARIJKE JORRITSMA
Off-lab Marijke is a creative technologist who explores ways to use emerging technologies technologies and science to builds non-traditional electronic instruments and software. She holds a MS from NYU’s School of Engineering, and a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.

ERIC HEEP
Previous work experience includes Kadenze as a programmer creating automatic graders for audio focused online classes, TechMDinc as a themed entertainment show programmer and Meow Wolf (in Santa Fe, NM) as a sound technologist and network audio systems designer.