Jan Kautz lectures in the Virtual Environments and Computer Graphics at University College London where he oversees research into computer graphics. Jan has made a number of important contributions to the verisimilitude of virtual environments, making advances in the territory of uncanny valley. One area in which he has made advances is the rendering of realistic objects under general lighting.

Professor Kautz was part of the team that developed the Precomputed Radiance Transfer, and this protocol(?) has since seen incorporation within DirectX and utilisation within blockbuster video game titles like Halo 2. Jans work has also focused upon shadows:
“We have developed a new mathematical formulation of shadowing, Convolution Shadow Maps, which enables us to efficiently render aliasing-free shadows as well as soft shadows.”

Jan’s research has recently moved towards HDRI computational photography. As Jan describes:
“HDRI is a set of techniques that allows one to increase the dynamic range of traditional photographs, thus avoiding under- or overexposed areas”

Jan organised the London Graphics Seminar, an event which brought together luminaries from Computer Games Industry, Special Effects Industry, and Academia. He is also affiliated with the 8th European Conference on Visual Media Production, a London based conference which discusses the latest research and state of the art practices in the realms of film, broadcast and games with imaging and graphics researchers.