Dr Kia C. Ng 
BSc(Hons), PhD,
MIEEE, MIoD, MBCS, FVRS, FRSA, CITP,
CEng, CSci
Senior Lecturer in Computing & Music, and
Director of ICSRiM
Kia is a senior lecturer at the University of Leeds where he is director and co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Research in Music (ICSRiM). Kia's research links together work in the School of Computing and the School of Music on interactive multimedia, computer vision, computer music, and digital media. Currently, he is the President of the International Association of Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK.
Kia involves in several domains and initiatives relating to 2D and 3D imaging including gestural analysis and interfaces, multi-modal analysis, interactive multimedia and cross-media systems, in collaboration with many European and international organisations and individuals in the field. He has worked on Optical Music Recognition for automated recognition, translation, and restoration of printed and handwritten music manuscripts. His Music via Motion (MvM) system allows users to have real-time control of musical sound using their physical movement. It has been widely featured in the media, including the BBC's News 24 and Tomorrow's World Plus and Sky TV.
Kia serves a number of international journals’ editorial boards, including the Journal of Music and Meaning, Journal of Convergence Information Technology, and Computer Music Journal (MIT Press), and he also serves many conference programme/organising/review committees including the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) and International Computer Music Conference (ICMC). Events organised include the International Conference on Web Delivery of Music (WEDELMUSIC-2003), AISB2004 (Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour) Convention on Motion, Emotion and Cognition, GIMS2006 (2nd ConGAS International Symposium on Gesture Interfaces for Multimedia Systems), AXMEDIS2006 (2nd International Conference on Automated Production of Cross Media Content for Multi-channel Distribution) and many others.
Interdisciplinary projects include:
- I-MAESTRO: Interactive Multimedia Environment for Technology Enhanced Music Education and Creative Collaborative Composition and Performance, www.i-maestro.org, supported by EC IST FP6 (Project Coordinator)
- AXMEDIS: Automating Production of Cross Media Content for Multi-channel Distribution, www.axmedis.org, supported by EC IST FP6
- CASPAR: Cultural, Artistic and Scientific knowledge for Preservation, Access and Retrieval, www.casparpreserves.eu, supported by EC IST FP6
- Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK, www.interactivemusicnetwork.org, supported by EC IST FP5
- COST287-ConGAS: Gesture Controlled Audio Systems, supported by the European Science Foundation
- Music via Motion, supported by the Arts Council England
- Yorkshire Quarry Arts, supported by the MIST (The Mineral Industry Sustainable Technology programme)
- and others
Research Assistants/Officers/Fellows include:
- Alexander J. Mikroyannidis, BEng, Patras, Greece, MPhil, UMIST, PhD
- Samarasena Buchala, BSc, PhD
- Thijs Koerselman, BA (HKU), EMMA (HKU, Netherlands)
- Oliver Larkin, BA
- Minh Thang Dang, BSc, MSc, Leeds
- Royce J. Neagle, BSc, PhD, Leeds
- Siew Bee Ong, BSc, MSc, Leeds
- Tran Vu Pham, BSc, Wollongong, Australia, MSc, PhD, Leeds
- Garry Quested, BSc, Leeds
- Ali Asad Khan, BSc, Lahore, MSc, Leeds
Research postgraduate students include:
- Hazem Hiary (PhD, Computing)
- Eleri Pound (PhD, Music)
- Garry Quested (PhD, Computing)
- Moaath Al-Rajab (PhD, Computing)
- Richard Sage (MA, Music)
- David Bradshaw (MA, Music)
- Charles O'Neill (MA, Music)
Learning and Teaching duties include:
- co-programme-director, BSc/BA (Hons) Music Multimedia and Electronics (MME)
- module leader, MSc Perceptual Systems (PSS, COMP5141M)
- module leader, MSc Future Directions (FUT, COMP5180M)
- MSc research project tutor
- Computing tutor for the Joint Honours in Science
- etc
Other duties include:
- Coordinator of the International Computer Music Association Working Group on Interactive Systems and Instrument Design in Music [icmc array]
- Co-owner of the London Virtual Reality Special Interest Group (LVRG) mailing list
- Scientific Director of the Leeds University Centre for English Music (LUCEM)
- Editorial Consultant of the Computer Music Journal, MIT Press
- Director of the Applied Modelling Technology Ltd.
- Chairman of the Music Imaging Ltd.
Kia's research interests include computer vision, optical document analysis, 3D gesture analysis, 2D & 3D imaging, computer music, interactive multimedia, HCI, AI, VR and augmented reality.
Kia plays the violin (
a painting by Toya Lim), and enjoys listening to classical music and operas (even when he doesn't understand a word of it :-)