Caecilia earned a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Computer Graphics from EPFL in 2006, followed by a PhD in Computer Science in 2010 at the MIRALab of the University of Geneva. She is the Co-founder, President, and Research & Managing Director at the Artanim Foundation, a leading center in motion capture technologies, as well as Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Dreamscape Immersive, a pioneering company in virtual reality experiences. She also chairs the National Thematic Network Virtual Switzerland. Alongside her research and innovation work, she teaches as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics at the University of Geneva’s Faculty of Medicine and serves as a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University within the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Her interdisciplinary work focuses on the application of motion capture in 3D animation, virtual and augmented reality, real-time performance, orthopedics, and sports medicine. Her research has resulted in over 100 international scientific publications and has received numerous awards (2009 Eurographics Medical 1st Prize, 2011 ISAKOS Achilles Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Research Award, 2014 CAOS Best Technical Paper Award, 2014 EFORT Best Poster Discussion, 2015 SIGGRAPH Finalist of the Immersive Realities (VR/AR) Contest, 2016 Laval Virtual Award, 2017 Swiss ICT Award Finalist, 2022 Great Economy Special Jury Prize)
A pioneer in the award-winning VR technology used by Dreamscape and Hollywood, she actively shapes the role of virtual reality in entertainment, education, and professional applications.
Beyond her scientific work, Caecilia Charbonnier is also a creator and director of immersive experiences such as Real Virtuality: Immersive Explorers, VR_I, Geneva 1850, Aboard the Mayflower, The Clockwork Forest, Escalade: The Darkest Night, The House of Wonders, and Debug Mode. Her work has been showcased at major international festivals including Sundance (New Frontier 2016, 2018), the Cannes Film Festival (2016), and the Venice Biennale (2018).
- Ph.D. Computer Science, University of Geneva, Switzerland, 2010
- MAS Computer Graphics, EPFL, Switzerland, 2006
- M.S. Information and Communication Systems, University of Geneva, Switzerland, 2005
Joint biomechanics, 3D modeling, motion analysis, 3D simulation, computer-assisted surgical planning, medical imaging, movement science, virtual reality rehabilitation, 3D body scanning, motion capture from different technologies (optical, inertial, markerless), VR/AR, real-time motion interaction, 3D character animation
In 2011, I co-founded Artanim Foundation, a research center specialized in motion capture technologies and virtual reality.
Full publications list available at https://artanim.ch/publications/
- Co-Founder, President, Research & Managing Director, Artanim Foundation, Switzerland
- Senior Lecturer, University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, Switzerland
- Recipient of the Special Jury Prize at the 2022 Great Economy Awards, Geneva, 2022.
- Selected as part of the 100 Digital Shapers (100 most important Swiss individuals in all things digital), 2018 edition.
- Finalist of the Swiss ICT Award 2017 for the VR platform "Real Virtuality", Swiss ICT Award, Lucerne, 2017.
- In collaboration with the Cie Gilles Jobin: Winner of the Innovation Award and of the Public Award for the virtual reality dance piece “VR_I”, Festival du nouveau cinéma, Montreal, 2017.
- Selected as part of the Forum des 100 (100 personalities who make the French-speaking part of Switzerland), 2017 edition.
- Winner of the 2016 Laval Virtual Award in the category 3D Game and Entertainment for the VR platform "Real Virtuality", Laval Virtual 2016, Laval, 2016.
- Finalist of the "Immersive Realities (VR/AR) contest" awarding the best augmented/virtual reality experiences possible using today’s technologies for the VR platform "Real Virtuality", SIGGRAPH 2015, Los Angeles, 2015.
- In collaboration with La Tour Hospital and the Rive Droite Radiology Center SA: Best Technical Paper Award for the paper entitled "A Patient-Specific Measurement Technique to Model the Kinematics of the Shoulder in Tennis Players", 14th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS), Milan, 2014.
- In collaboration with the University Hospitals of Geneva and Medacta International SA: Special distinction for the best discussion of the poster entitled "Sexual Activity after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Motion Capture Study” ", 15th Annual Congress of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT), London, 2014.
- In collaboration with the University Hospitals of Geneva: ISAKOS Achilles Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Research Award for the paper entitled "Clinical and MRI Findings in Professional Dancers' Hip: A New Femoro-acetabular Impingement? ", 8th Annual Congress of the International Society of Arthroplasty, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), Rio de Janeiro, 2011.
- In collaboration with the MIRALab-team and the University Hospitals of Geneva: Eurographics Medical 1st Prize for the paper entitled "Virtual Hip Joint: from Computer Graphics to Computer-Assisted Diagnosis", 30th Annual Conference of the European Association for Computer Graphics, Munich, 2009.
- 2009 Walthard Prize from the University of Geneva. This prize is given to a student conducting with success a sport career and academic studies.
- President, Artanim Foundation, Switzerland
- President, Virtual Switzerland Association, Switzerland
- Co-Founder & CIO, Dreamscape Immersive Inc., USA