Alumni Profile: James O'Brien

James O'Brien

FIU alumnus makes a splash in Time magazine

In news that should make every member of the Golden Panther family proud, FIU alumnus James O'Brien '92 was lauded in the Jan. 10 issue of Time magazine as "one of the world's top experts on how to make computers simulate complex physical systems." The complimentary write-up features a photo of O'Brien as well as images of a computer-simulated splash he created.

O'Brien was one of several individuals profiled in the Jan. 10 issue of Time magazine under the heading "Innovators: Forging the Future." The piece on O'Brien -- "What Does Wind Really Look Like?" - and his photo were on page 52.

O'Brien's work creating computer-generated simulations of natural phenomena such as waves, snowdrifts, mud and fire is driven by computer codes called physics engines. As explained in the piece written by Chris Taylor, computers don't have enough horsepower to simulate every visual element that comprises such physical occurrences; it's scholars like O'Brien who attempt to figure out how much we need to see to make us believe.

Currently, O'Brien's algorithms are used in some PlayStation 2 software and at Pixar.

Now an assistant professor of computer science at the University of California-Berkeley, O'Brien, 34, received a bachelor's in computer science from FIU prior to earning his master's and Ph.D. degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology.

O'Brien's father is FIU Associate Professor of Hospitality Management William O'Brien.