About
Brian Cantrell, PhD, is a media designer, researcher, and creative technologist who works in a range of computational media to design experiences with immersive data displays, interactive audio, and scientific visualizations. He often applies his visual arts background and design research experience to address problems requiring complex, systems-thinking approaches. His research explores the potential for multi-modal sensory perception in science communication and the contribution of experimental arts approaches to scientific visualization / sonification. His broader research interests include worldbuilding and systems-oriented design methodologies, computational aesthetics, and phenomenology of perception.
From early 2017 to late 2025, Brian worked with USC's Worldbuilding Media Lab on a number of interdisciplinary design projects including InnerSpace (formerly World in a Cell), a collaboration with the Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences that seeks to build a functional, data-driven, and immersive model of the pancreatic beta cell. Additionally, Brian has taught college-level courses ranging from observational drawing to worldbuilding for media production. He holds a doctorate in Media Arts and Practice from University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts and completed a postdoctoral research appointment in the Vision Center Laboratory at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
GitHub: brn-cntrl
CV available upon request.
