Dan Herman

Dan Herman has been active in computer-graphics research, development and production for over 20 years. At Pixar Animation Studios, from Pixar's first film Toy Story through Finding Nemo, he managed and led development on projects involving feature animation tools, special effects, autonomous characters, games, and production tracking systems. At DreamWorks Animation, Dan was a core contributor to the design and architecture of the Academy Award-winning "Premo" 3D animation system and designed and built a 2D animation system, both still currently in use at the studio. Prior to his time at Pixar, Dan sailed in the 1995 America's Cup as navigator for the yacht Young America, where he also headed development of the extensive instrumentation system used onboard Young America and its support boats. His previous work in computer graphics centered on CAD/CAM and scientific visualization. He earned a graduate degree from Cornell University, studying the intersection of Computer Science and Neuropsychology, and an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Psychology with a minor in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.