Associate Professor, Department of Structural Engineering
Adjunct Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
Calit2 Professor for Visualization and Virtual Reality


Jacobs School of Engineering
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0085
La Jolla, CA 92093-0085

Office/Lab: Calit2 Room 2302 (Atkinson Hall)
Phone: (858) 534-9953 ·  Email: fkuester@ucsd.edu

Education:

• B. S., Technical University of Berlin, Germany, Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, 1993
• M. S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mechanical Engineering, 1994
• M. S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Computer Science and Engineering, 1995
• Ph.D., University of California, Davis, Computer Science, 2001

Appointments:

• 2006 – present, Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, UCSD
• 2003-2006, Director, Calit2 Center of GRAVITY (Graphics, Visualization and Imaging Technology), UC Irvine
• 2001-2006, Assistant Professor, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, UC Irvine

Research Interests:

• Scientific visualization and virtual reality, with emphasis on collaborative workspaces
• Multi-modal interfaces
• Distributed and remote visualization of large data sets

Recognition/Awards:

• Fulbright Scholar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1993-1994
• Recipient of the Deans Grant, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1993-1994
• Recipient of Graduate Scholarship, Technical University of Berlin, 1993-1994
• Cover of ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology 2001 proceedings, ACM Press, November 2001
• Best Undergraduate Student Paper Award 2003, “Optimized construction on linear approximations to image data, “ IEEE
• Best Graduate Student Paper Award, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, UC Irvine.
• Member of the German National Gliding Team, 1993-1997

Professional Memberships

• Transdisciplinary Imaging Genetics Center, UC Irvine (founding member)

Recent Publications

• Hutchinson, T.C. and Kuester, F., (2004). Monitoring Global earthquake-induced demands using vision-based sensors. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 35 (1):31-36.
• Hutchinson, T.C., Chaudhari, R.S., Kuester, F., and Auduong, S. (2005). Light-based motion tracking of equipment subjected to earthquake motions.  Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, ASCE, 19(3):292-303.
• Hutchinson, T.C. and Kuester, F. (2004) Hardware architecture for a visualization classroom: Vizclass. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, Wiley Press, 12(4):232-241.
• Kim, S-J, Kuester, F. and Kim, K. (2004). A global timestamp-based approach for enhanced data consistency and fairness in collaborative virtual environments.  ACM/Springer Multimedia Systems Journal, 10(3):220-229.
• Kuester, F. Phair, M.E., and Hutchinson, T.C. (2005). Image centric finite element simulation. Computers and Graphics, 29:379-392.
• Hutchinson, T.C., Kuester, F., Hsieh, TJ, and Chadwick, R. (2005). A hybrid reality environment and its application to the study of earthquake engineering. Virtual Reality Journal, Spring Verlag Press, 9(1):17-33.
• He, Z. Kimball, J., and Kuester, F. (2005). Distributed and collaborative biomedical data exploration. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 3804:271-278.
• Hutchinson, T.C., Kuester, F., Doerr, K-U, and Lim, D.H. (2006). Optimal hardware and software design of an image-based system for capturing dynamic movements. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement. In press.
• Kuester, F., and Hutchinson, T.C. (2005). A virtualized laboratory for earthquake engineering education. ASEE Journal of Engineering Education. Accepted for publication.
• Kuester, F., Brown-Simmons, G., Knox, C, and Yamoaka, S. (2006). Earth and plantetary system science game engine. Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science. In press.
• Hutchinson, T.C., Kuester, F., and Phair, M.E. (200x). Sketching finite element models within a unified 2-dimensional framework. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, ASCE. Accepted for publication.