Member Profile: Miguel A. Otaduy
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I’m a research scientist at Meta Reality Labs Research since 2022, and professor of computer science at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos since 2008.
2. What was your first job?
Postdoc research associate at ETH Zurich
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Through the Technical Papers program. First attendance 2001, first submission 2002, first paper 2003.
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
A paper presentation by Jos Stam at my first Siggraph. He showed a smoke simulation working on a PDA Palm. He asked the camera guy to zoom in so everybody could see. The audience was huge and we were cheering in the middle of the paper presentation. At that moment I decided I wanted to be a part of this.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
(please ask again in 45 days, my major work for the last years is about to be released)
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
Not one in particular, but entrepreneurs in general, because there’s so much interesting life experience in starting a company.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
That I’m a pretty decent coder (even without AI); even I didn’t know this untile recently
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
Ming Lin, my PhD advisor. She taught me what research is about, and this became my life passion.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Same, Ming Lin. She introduced me to this world.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
Not a single moment, but a life-long endeavor. After training in excellent groups and universities and knowing first-hand what academic excellence was about, I went back to Spain and started a research group at a pretty modest university. I’m so proud of what we have achieved there, competing with the elite for so many years.