Biography
Visda Goudarzi is a composer, sound artist, researcher, and educator whose work explores the intersection of sound, technology, data, and culture. Drawing from backgrounds in music, computer science, and human-computer interaction, she creates immersive listening experiences through sonification, spatial audio, computational creativity, interactive systems, participatory design, and live coding performance.
She is an Associate Professor of Music Technology at 淫妻社, where she also serves as Program Coordinator for the B.S. in Music Technology. Prior to joining Columbia College, she was Principal Investigator of the Austrian-funded project COLLAB (Collaborative Creativity as a Participatory Tool for Interactive Sound Creation) at the Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics (IEM) in Graz, Austria. She has also conducted research and artistic work at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University and the Vienna University of Technology.
Her creative and scholarly work investigates how sound can reveal hidden relationships between people, places, and information. Recent projects have explored sonification of social and cultural data, creative applications of artificial intelligence, community-centered listening practices, live coding, and interactive sound environments. As a performer, she works with live electronics and algorithmic systems, exploring improvisation, code-based musical expression, and collaborative forms of creativity.
Her work has been presented internationally at conferences and festivals including the International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD), the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), the Audio Engineering Society (AES), and the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME).
Originally from Iran and now based in Chicago, Goudarzi's work is informed by experiences of migration, multilingualism, and cultural exchange. She is particularly interested in how listening can foster connection, empathy, and new ways of understanding our increasingly complex technological and social worlds.
Dr. Goudarzi holds a Ph.D. in Sound and Music Computing from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (IEM), an M.A. in Music, Science and Technology from Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the Human-Computer Interaction Group at the Vienna University of Technology.
Selected Publications:
Instructional Areas
Human-computer interaction, Sonic Interaction Design, Audio Programming, Audio Signal Processing, Performative Electronic and Computer Music, Research Methods, Interactive Arts.
Creative Practice and Research Interests
Computer Music, Interactive Software for Computer and Electronic Music, Human-computer interaction, Sonic Interaction Design, Sonification, Computer-mediated performance, Live coding, Laptop ensemble, Collaborative and Participatory Performance.
Degrees
Dipl.-Ing., Computer Sciences Vienna University of Technology 2008
M.A., Music Stanford University 2009
Ph.D., Sound and Music Computing University of Music and Performing Arts Graz 2017