Barbara Solenthaler is a Titular Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, where she leads research on simulation and animation within the Computer Graphics Laboratory, with a particular focus on digital humans and graphics for health. She received her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Zurich and was a Hans Fischer Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich (2019–2022). She has served as Associate Editor of Computer Graphics Forum (2019–2022) and on technical program and organization committees of leading conferences such as SIGGRAPH, Eurographics, SCA (Conference Co-Chair 2016), and MIG (Conference Co-Chair 2023). Her research advances simulation, animation, and AI-driven modeling. Early work on fluid simulation and artistic controllability established methods for integrating physics and AI to achieve creative flexibility and interactivity. Building on these foundations, her group has turned to the human face, developing AI-driven methods for shape modeling, neural physics simulation, data-driven facial animation, and bridging motion with rendering - technologies that are central to digital humans for both entertainment and medical applications. This has opened new avenues in healthcare-focused research, including 3D patient modeling, treatment simulation, photorealistic visualization of treatment outcome, and interactive digital characters for healthcare. She is committed to shaping the emerging field of graphics for health, advancing simulation, animation, and digital humans as a bridge between creative industries and clinical applications. Barbara’s contributions have been recognized with multiple awards, including the ICBS Frontiers of Science Award (2024), the IPCAI Bench to Bedside Award (2023) for rapid clinical translation, and the Eurographics Günter Enderle Award (2021), among others. She also received the Fritz Kutter Best Dissertation Award (2009) for her PhD thesis on fluid simulation. Beyond her scientific achievements, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Fritz-Kutter Prize and actively engages in outreach activities (such as in 2025 at Science City, Informatiktage, and the SIGGRAPH Frontiers Workshop on Graphics and Health), fostering dialogue between research and society.
Department of Computer Science
Computer Graphics Laboratory
CNB G 106.1
Universitätstrasse 6
ETH Zentrum
CH - 8092 Zürich