Kaan Akşit

Associate Professor of Computational Light at University College London,

Optica Senior Member, Optica Display Technology Executive Committee, UCL Departmental Laser Safety Officer, ACM TOG Associate Editor

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kaanaksit@kaanaksit.com

Kaan Akşit is an Associate Professor of Computational Light in the Computer Science department at University College London in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where Kaan also leads the Computational Light Laboratory. Kaan received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Koç University, Türkiye*, in 2014. His M.Sc. degree is in electrical power engineering from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, in 2010. Kaan obtained his B.S. in electrical engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Türkiye, in 2007. Kaan researches the intersection of light and computation, including computational approaches in imaging, graphics, fabrication, and displays. Kaan’s research works are widely known among the optics and graphics community for his contributions to display technologies dedicated to 3D, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Kaan worked as a research intern in Philips Research, the Netherlands, and Disney Research, Switzerland, in 2009 and 2013, respectively. In addition, Kaan was a Senior Research Scientist at NVIDIA, the United States of America, between 2014 and 2020. Over the years, Kaan’s research works has been recognized with numerous awards from various highly respected venues and institutions including ACM SIGGRAPH, IEEE VR and ISMAR and Optica.

Prospective Students: Students interested in conducting research work for their master thesis in the domains of computational displays, computational imaging, perceptual graphics, physically informed deep learning models and generative models in physical sciences, optical computing, can reach out via email for more details. Students are encouraged to reach out via email for open Ph.D. studentships and research intern positions with their resume and research statements.

Keywords: Computational Light, Computational Displays, Perceptual Graphics, Optical Computing

Websites: Personal website, Computational Light Laboratory, Odak Toolkit

Public engagements: High-Beams Seminars, Research Hub

For more details about Kaan’s academic profile such as conflicts, list of talks or academic services, please visit biography section of this website.

news

Dec 03, 2024 📰 Our innovative research on computational displays and lensless cameras are presented at ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. These works are collaborations with a series of academic and industrial partners including Chuanjun Zheng, Liang Shi, Ozan Cakmakci, Yicheng Zhan, Ziyang Chen, Mustafa Doğa Doğan, Josef Spjut, and Kaan Akşit.
Apr 22, 2024 📰 Our paper, Multi-color Holograms Improve Brightness in Holographic Displays, is awarded with Graphics Replicability Stamp Initiative’s replicability stamp. This work is a collaboration between Koray Kavaklı, Liang Shi, Hakan Urey, Wojciech Matusik, and Kaan Akşit.
Apr 22, 2024 📰 Our paper, All-optical image denoising using a diffractive visual processor, is recognized as the most downloaded paper in March 2024 by Nature’s Light and Science Applications. This work is a collaboration between Çağatay Işıl, Tianyi Gan, Fazil Onuralp, Koray Mentesoglu, Jagrit Digani, Huseyin Karaca, Hanlong Chen, Jingxi Li, Deniz Mengu, Mona Jarrahi, Kaan Akşit, and Aydogan Ozcan.

selected publications

  1. SIGGRAPH ASIA
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    Focal Surface Holographic Light Transport using Learned Spatially Adaptive Convolutions
    In SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 Technical Communications (SA Technical Communications ’24), Tokyo, Japan, Dec 2024
  2. SIGGRAPH ASIA
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    SpecTrack: Learned Multi-Rotation Tracking via Speckle Imaging
    Ziyang ChenMustafa DoganJosef Spjut, and Kaan Akşit
    In SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 Posters (SA Posters ’24), Tokyo, Japan, Dec 2024
  3. Light: Science and Appllications
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    All-optical image denoising using a diffractive visual processor
    Light: Science & Applications, Feb 2024
  4. SPIE AR/VR/MR
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    AutoColor: Learned Light Power Control for Multi-Color Holograms
    Yicheng ZhanKoray KavaklıHakan UreyQi Sun, and Kaan Akşit
    SPIE, Jan 2024
  5. SIGGRAPH ASIA
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    Multi-color Holograms Improve Brightness in Holographic Displays
    In SIGGRAPH ASIA 2023 Conference Papers, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Dec 2023
    :medal_sports: Graphics Replicability Stamp Initiative’s Replicability Stamp
  6. Biomedical Optics Express
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    ChromaCorrect: Prescription Correction in Virtual Reality Headsets through Perceptual Guidance
    Biomedical Optics Express, Apr 2023
  7. IEEE VR
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    HoloBeam: Paper-Thin Near-Eye Displays
    Kaan Akşit, and Yuta Itoh
    In 2023 IEEE Conference Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR), Mar 2023
  8. IEEE VR
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    Realistic Defocus Blur for Multiplane Computer-Generated Holography
    Koray KavaklıYuta ItohHakan Urey, and Kaan Akşit
    IEEE VR 2023, Mar 2023
  9. Optics Express
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    Unrolled Primal-Dual Networks for Lensless Cameras
    Oliver KingshottNick AntipaEmrah Bostan, and Kaan Akşit
    Optics Express, Dec 2022
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    Optimizing vision and visuals: lectures on cameras, displays and perception
    ACM SIGGRAPH 2022, Aug 2022
  11. IEEE VR
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    Metameric Varifocal Holograms
    In 2022 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR), Mar 2022
  12. Applied Optics
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    Learned holographic light transport
    Koray KavaklıHakan Urey, and Kaan Akşit
    Applied Optics, Feb 2022
    :medal_sports: Invited
  13. SIGGRAPH
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    Beyond blur: Real-time ventral metamers for foveated rendering
    ACM Transactions on Graphics, Aug 2021
  14. ACM UIST
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    Sensicut: Material-aware laser cutting using speckle sensing and deep learning
    In The 34th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, Aug 2021
  15. IEEE VR
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    Beaming displays
    Yuta ItohTakumi Kaminokado, and Kaan Akşit
    IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Mar 2021
    :medal_sports: Best paper nominee
  16. Frontiers in Virtual Reality
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    Telelife: The Future of Remote Living
    Frontiers in Virtual Reality, Mar 2021
  17. Optics Express
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    Patch scanning displays: spatiotemporal enhancement for displays
    Kaan Akşit
    Optics express, Mar 2020
  18. IEEE VR
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    Toward standardized classification of foveated displays
    IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, Mar 2020
  19. IEEE ISMAR
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    Optical gaze tracking with spatially-sparse single-pixel detectors
    In 2020 IEEE international symposium on mixed and augmented reality (ISMAR), Mar 2020
  20. IEEE VR
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    Manufacturing application-driven foveated near-eye displays
    IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, Mar 2019
    :medal_sports: Best paper nominee
  21. Eurographics
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    Near-eye display and tracking technologies for virtual and augmented reality
    In Computer Graphics Forum, Mar 2019
  22. SIGGRAPH
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    Foveated AR: dynamically-foveated augmented reality display.
    ACM Trans. Graph., Mar 2019
  23. SIGGRAPH
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    Matching prescription & visual acuity: Towards ar for humans
    In ACM SIGGRAPH 2019 Emerging Technologies, Mar 2019
    :medal_sports: Emerging technologies best in show award
  24. SIGGRAPH
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    Steerable application-adaptive near eye displays
    In ACM SIGGRAPH 2018 Emerging Technologies, Mar 2018
    :medal_sports: Emerging Technology Best in Show Award
  25. IEEE ISMAR
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    Focusar: Auto-focus augmented reality eyeglasses for both real world and virtual imagery
    IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, Mar 2018
    :medal_sports: Best paper award
  26. IEEE VR
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    Wide field of view varifocal near-eye display using see-through deformable membrane mirrors
    IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, Mar 2017
    :medal_sports: Best Paper Award
  27. SIGGRAPH
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    Membrane AR: varifocal, wide field of view augmented reality display from deformable membranes
    In ACM SIGGRAPH 2017 Emerging Technologies, Mar 2017
    :medal_sports: Emerging Technologies DCEXPO Special Prize
  28. SIGGRAPH
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    Near-eye varifocal augmented reality display using see-through screens
    ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), Mar 2017
  29. Applied Optics
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    Slim near-eye display using pinhole aperture arrays
    Kaan AkşitJan Kautz, and David Luebke
    Applied optics, Mar 2015
  30. IEEE Globecom
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    From sound to sight: Using audio processing to enable visible light communication
    In 2014 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps), Mar 2014
  31. IEEE Comm
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    Connecting networks of toys and smartphones with visible light communication
    IEEE communications magazine, Jul 2014
  32. ACM CACET
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    Head-worn mixed reality projection display application
    Kaan AkşitDaniel KadeOğuzhan Özcan, and Hakan Urey
    In Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, Nov 2014
  33. Optics Letters
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    Super stereoscopy technique for comfortable and realistic 3D displays
    Optics letters, Nov 2014
  34. Optics Express
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    Dynamic exit pupil trackers for autostereoscopic displays
    Optics express, Jun 2013
  35. Optics Express
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    Multi-view autostereoscopic projection display using rotating screen
    Osman EldesKaan Akşit, and Hakan Urey
    Optics Express, Nov 2013
    :medal_sports: Spotlight on Optics at Optica
  36. JoDT
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    Portable 3D Laser Projector using Mixed Polarization Technique
    Kaan AkşitO. EldesS. ViswanathenM. Freeman, and H. Urey
    Journal of Display Technology, Sep 2012
    :medal_sports: Best 3D product award of International 3D Society (4th year)
  37. Optics Express
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    Heart rate monitoring via remote photoplethysmography with motion artifacts reduction
    Giovanni CenniniJeremie ArguelKaan Akşit, and Arno Leest
    Optics Express, Mar 2010