Dr
Kia Ng 
BSc(Hons) PhD
MIEEE MIoD MBCS FVRS FRSA CITP CEng CSci
Senior Lecturer in Computing & Music;
Director of ICSRiM;
President of the MUSICNETWORK International Association;
AHRB Senior Institutional Research Fellow
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, cross media and digital media. Currently, he is the President of the International Association of Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK.
Kia is a leading expert in Optical Music Recognition, working on computer recognition and translation 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 Computer Music Journal (MIT Press), and he also serves many
conference programme/organising/review committees including the International
Computer Music Conference (ICMC) and the International Conference on New
Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME). 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). Upcoming major events include AXMEDIS2006: 2nd International Conference on Automated Production of Cross Media Content for Multi-channel Distribution (see www.axmedis.org/axmedis2006). Currently Kia involves in several domains
and initiatives relating to 2D and 3D imaging including gestural interfaces,
multi-modal analysis, expressive gesture, interactive multimedia and cross-media
systems, in collaboration with many European and international organisations
and individuals in the field.
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
- 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/Fellows include:
- ALI ASAD KHAN, BSc, Lahore, MSc, Leeds
- ROYCE J NEAGLE, BSc, PhD, Leeds
- SIEW BEE ONG, BSc, MSc, Leeds
- TRAN VU PHAM, BSc, Wollongong, Australia, MSc, Leeds
- GARRY QUESTED, BSc, Leeds
Research postgraduate students include:
- Hazem Hiary (PhD, Computing)
- Ali Khan (MPhil/PhD, Computing)
- Xiao Ping Lu (PhD, Music)
- Eleri Pound (PhD, Music)
- Garry Quested (MPhil/PhD, Computing)
- Moaath Al-Rajab (PhD, Computing)
- Richard Sage (MPhil/PhD, 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:
- Editorial Consultant of the Computer Music Journal, MIT Press
- Coordinator of the International Computer Music Association Working Group on Interactive Systems and Instrument Design in Music
- Co-owner of the London Virtual Reality Special Interest Group (LVRG) mailing list
- Technical Director of the Leeds University Centre for English Music (LUCEM)
- 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, cross-media, 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 :-)
