Professor, Department Chair of Interactive Media
Kim Grinfeder is an accomplished artist, designer, and creator who uses emergent technologies to address social and environmental issues. As the founding Chair and Professor at the Department of Interactive Media at the University of Miami, he has made significant contributions to the field of interactive narratives and immersive media. He leads the Institute of Data Science and Computing’s creative computing efforts and runs UMVerse, where he is developing a coordinated strategy to expand leadership in spatial computing. Since its implementation, UMVerse has sparked over 50 research projects across disciplines, transforming the use of immersive media across campus in the field and classroom.
Kim’s research focuses on creating narratives with social impact using immersive media tools and exploring the limits of these technologies. His highly interdisciplinary work has resulted in numerous collaborations across diverse fields, such as medicine, architecture, cinema, journalism, and more. His creative work has been recognized globally, including at festivals and competitions such as the Webby’s, the Atlanta Film Festival, and the National Press Photographers Association. His work has also been exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Kim is a frequent presenter at conferences where he shares his insights on the potential of immersive media for industry and narrative. His multidisciplinary collaborations have resulted in several papers in top-tier journals and conferences, including the Journal of Cancer Education, the International Communication Association, and the International Society for Occupational Ergonomics and Safety. He has received two top paper awards for his contributions to these fields.
In 2022, Kim was awarded the Provost’s Transdisciplinary Innovation Teaching Award for his exceptional course titled “Religion and Sacred Spaces in the Era of VR and Artificial Intelligence.” Born in Seoul, Korea, in 1972, Kim has lived in Brazil, France, and the United States, enriching his understanding of different cultures and perspectives. He currently lives in Miami with his wife, two daughters, cat, dog and goldfish.