I am a Designer with experience developing pipelines for film and commercial visual effects (Framestore, Cultures of Resistance, Box Studios), and working in research (NASA-Goddard Institute for Space Studies). My primary work areas are visualization, debugging, and pipeline and prototype development.

My background is in Applied Math (BA 2002, NYU) and Computer Art (MFA 2008, School of Visual Arts). I have worked in technical support and communication roles in atmospheric science (NASA-GISS, 1997-2003, 2009), tracking methane emissions and helping with educational efforts and communication strategies around this material. In VFX and Design, I have worked on 3D simulations for Super Bowl commercials (Framestore), compositing and retouching for feature films and music videos (Cultures of Resistance, Box Studios), UI/UX design for a structure editor for legal documents (CaseRails), and on a variety of other commercial and fine art projects.

I have been granted two patents for an image/signal processing anomaly detection method (US-9881408-B2 and US-10319131), applied to the field of motion retouching. I used these to help develop a motion retouching pipeline (Box Studio), with initial use case on the project “Give Me All Your Luvin” - Madonna (music video, 2012). I am interested in addressing related aliasing issues in other domains, as well as in adapting mature, production-tested strategies developed in the time-constrained setting of visual effects, to address signal processing problems that have arisen as generative methods have gained wider adoption. I am interested also in bringing classical methods from the study of differential equations to fields which may have less of the clarity and discipline of the physical sciences.

Outside of work settings, my interest is in fixed gear bike tricks (influenced by prior experience with breaking and house dancing), and in photography and drawing.

Please direct inquiries to david@davidsarma.org.

-David Sarma