On Thursday, May 16, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) awarded a $1.65 million grant to Carleton University’s Chris Joslin through the Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) grant program.
This grant supports innovative training programs for highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad. Joslin, and co-director Lesley Istead, will use the funds for their visual effects training and research hub—the VIsual effectS and animation InnovatiOn and simulatioN (VISION) program.
The VISION program will offer core training to film and television’s growing visual effects (VFX) industry, which seeks individuals with technical and creative skills in computer-generated imagery, animation, and compositing techniques. The training is designed to fill a knowledge gap identified by industry partners, where professionals knowledgeable in VFX methods often lack the experience to transfer their skills to industry work.
The training will prepare Joslin’s students to have a strategic advantage in Canada’s growing VFX industry by facilitating:
- cutting-edge industry research for which VFX companies often lack resources; and
- strong connections between the Canadian entertainment industry and academia.
Joslin aims to establish the VISION program as a self-sustaining training and research hub for VFX and animation professionals with connections throughout Canada to support the ever-evolving industry.
Stay tuned in the coming months for an in-depth feature of Joslin’s work.
In the meantime, learn more about Joslin’s interdisciplinary research.