Lect. Jas Brooks

Jas Brooks is a lecturer in the Department of Art and Technology Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a graduate student at the University of Chicago pursuing a Computer Science PhD, under the guidance of Prof. Pedro Lopes. They graduated from the University of Chicago in 2016 with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.

Their technical research interests lie in developing novel devices that diretly interface with our senses of smell and taste. Their research focuses on the systems-level design of interactive chemical systems for VR, integrating delivery, sensing, and filtration.

Jas's research is funded by an NSF GRFP Fellowship. Jas previously worked in the Leadership Computing Facility at the Argonne National Laboratory, developing immersive scientific visualizations primarily in collaboration with Professor Bobby Kasthuri's lab.

As an artist, Jas deals with themes of technological injustice, sexuality and gender, and the amplification of emotional and aesthetic experiences by technology, chiefly employing a combination of taste, smell, and immersive environments. Currently, Jas is completing a residency at the Connectory in collaboration with Snow Xu and leading a gustatory VR performance at the STAGE Laboratory.

Pronouns: they, them, their.