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Ethan M. Edwards

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-m-edwards-a325b4b3/

Building a more human path to the future with design, engineering, and big ideas

Thought leader, researcher, artist, and engineer researching and building user-facing technology. Committed to advancing human progress through careful thought and radical innovation. A voracious generalist acquiring whatever skills are necessary to get the job done.

  • Sets vision and principles for major industrial and cultural projects.

  • Manages collaborations between different fields and industries towards concrete deliverables.

  • A leading Creative Technologist, making work for presentation to C-Suite executives, museum-goers, concert audiences, and more.

  • An expert prototyper, making functioning systems which define the user goals for large multi-team projects.

  • An experienced engineer, delivering in many frameworks to all stages of projects.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

NOKIA BELL LABS                                                                                                                      

Researcher, Experiments in Art and Technology                                                                       

Organized and led collaborative projects, created humanistic visions for internal initiatives, contributed code for many software engineering projects, and participated in leadership roles within company wide initiatives.

  • Led project to define Bell Labs’ core operating principles and 10-year vision for Human Robot Interaction.

  • Co-led design and prototyping of digital twin system product.

  • Tapped by Bell Labs President to join senior managers from throughout the company to lead research initiatives into far-future technology. Presented work of smaller committee on the future of communication to all-company audience and led subsequent research efforts.

  • Organized, co-led, and developed more than a dozen public and customer facing art and technology projects, involving a wide variety of technologies and presentation contexts.                                                                      

  • Software development and design consulting on major company initiatives, including Augmented Reality systems used for customer tours.

  • Research and engineering contributions on Robotics and AI projects delivering directly to business goals.

  • Regular public speaking on behalf of the company to international audiences.

  • Collaborative research initiative with internal and external partners on making the future of communication more humanistic.

  • Received inaugural award for “Outstanding Learning Outside One’s Field” by Bell Labs President.

DAISY                                                                                                                                       

Programmer and International Affairs                                                                                       

First native-English speaker to join small Tokyo-based art and technology startup. Dual role handling relationships with companies foreign to Japan and delivering directly to Daisy’s internal and contract projects as an Engineer.

  • Primary programmer for LazyArms - Arduino and Kinect project utilizing robotics and LED lights, shown at several conventions and museums throughout Japan.

  • Worked as programmer on contract at Sony on Playstation 4 Virtual Reality project.

  • Managed event installations at conferences and networked with clients, providing English-Japanese translation.

  • Handled correspondence and relationships with international clients and partners.

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EDUCATION

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY                                                                                                            

Master of Fine Arts in Sound Art                                                                                               

Worked with Brad Garton, director of the Computer Music Center at Columbia University, to better understand the future of what technology can do for art and gain additional academic experience in how tech might transform humanity.

  • Completed research project with Brad Garton developing uRTcmix, a real-time audio synthesis plugin for Unity, released publicly and used in many creative and academic contexts.

  • TAed two semesters of courses on using Unity in creative audio contexts to encourage use of above tool.

  • AR development and prototyping in Steven Feiner’s Computer Graphics and User Interfaces Lab in the Computer Science department.

  • Founded campus-wide Audio Applications of Machine Learning Research Group.

  • Performed independent ethnomusicology research in Japan and China in Summer 2017 doing first of its kind recording and documentation of traditional Kam polyphony and Japanese Buddhist vocal chanting.

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy                                                                                                  

Additional Coursework in Computer Science, Japanese, and Music. Honors: John Jay Scholar

SKILLS

I am extremely curious and a very fast learner. I enjoy tackling a new project by learning the state of the art approach and building whatever solution will deliver the results I want. I am equally at home writing detailed code for a robot, working on a film set, or designing user interactions for a concert.

Technical Skills

I have the greatest experience in programming for 3D Game Engines (Unity C#) for standalone and AR/VR, machine learning research (Python with PyTorch), web development (frontend and backend Javascript), iOS development (Swift), and Computer Vision (C++).

Languages I've used for projects include: C, C++, C#, Objective C, Python, Java, Javscript, Swift, RTcmix, Supercollider, and Arduino.

Other Skills

Languages: English, Japanese; Reading knowledge of French, Latin, Classical Chinese, Classical Japanese, Classical Greek

Other Skills: Video Editing, Videography, Audio Recording, Audio Mixing, Photography, Lighting, Music Composition and Performance (Piano, Setar, Clarinet), Digital Music Production

SELECTED ARTISTIC PROJECTS                                                                                                     

I have continuously made art since my Undergraduate years, and my work has been shown in museums and galleries throughout the world. Most of the work utilizes technology in radical new ways.

The Veil - Webapp designed to simulate the "Veil of Ignorance." Technological enhancement of critical moral reflection.

the moon fades - 1800 page narrative concrete poetry generated using custom Python scripts.

Prompts - iOS App which transforms the user's phone into durational art piece, lasting about a month.

Hades - Columbia MFA thesis, iOS Mixed Reality with original script, voice acting, shown at the Lenfest Gallery, NYC.

If Not Here – Narrative VR experience which questions the value of the immersion paradigm in virtual art.

Grains – A suite of cellular-automata based shaders used for live video, used in several improvised performances

SELECTED SPEAKING AND WORKSHOPS

I am a strong public speaker and enjoy presenting my thinking in every context. I value every opportunity to speak.

SIGGRAPH - Panel presentation on Measuring Creative AI.                                                                       

Cultured Data Symposium - Talk on the Bell Labs approach to AI as Augmented Intelligence.                      

Simons Center Art and Science Outreach - Talk for E.A.T. on fusing Art and Technology.                             

Opera Beyond - Travelled to Helsinki, Finland to mentor creative technologists.                                      

TEDxColumbiaUniversity - Gave talk and interactive demo on the future Augmented Reality.                  

Spotify Immersive Music Hackathon – Led uRTcmix workshop for first time users.                                  

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