Faculty Spotlight

Matthew Manos is the founder of verynice, a design strategy practice that gives half of its work away for free to nonprofit organizations. verynice’s clientele includes Apple, Google, UNICEF, NASA and the American Heart Association. Manos also served as inaugural chair of the Los Angeles Creative Advisory Board established by former Mayor Eric Garcetti. At the Academy, Matthew serves as Associate…

Jernej Barbič is the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Early Career Chair and a Professor of Computer Science. His research includes computer graphics, tackling interdisciplinary problems from computer animation, graphics, simulation, mechanics, medical imaging and haptics. The main focus of his research is physically based simulation of digital humans, animals, plants and man-made objects, for use…

Vishal Gupta is an Associate Professor of Data Sciences and Operations at the USC Marshall School of Business. Because of his research interests and expertise, he also holds a courtesy appointment in USC Viterbi’s School of Engineering in Industrial and Systems Engineering and is an affiliate faculty with USC’s Center for AI and Society. Before…

Trudi Sandmeier is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of Graduate Programs in Heritage Conservation, and Professor of Practice at the USC School of Architecture. She has decades of experience in heritage conservation advocacy, education, and leadership. A respected leader and mentor, Sandmeier has a passion for helping people find and pursue their path…

Dr. Gage Crump is a founding member of the Broad Stem Cell Center at USC and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. His lab studies the development, maintenance, and regeneration of the head skeleton using zebrafish, mouse, and human systems. His lab has established a number…

Bernadette Atuahene, Professor of Law, is a property law scholar focusing on land stolen from people in the African Diaspora. She is the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants who grew up in Los Angeles and attended UCLA for college. She then earned her JD from Yale and her MPA from Harvard. After completing her graduate studies,…

Josh Kun is Vice Provost for the Arts at USC, and Professor and Chair in Cross-Cultural Communication at the USC Annenberg School. His books include Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America; Songs in the Key of Los Angeles; Double Vision: The Photography of George Rodriguez, and several others. As a curator his projects and exhibitions have…