About

Stefania Serafin is head of the Computer Science Section at the Department of Engineering Technology at the Technical University of Denmark. Her research brings together multimodal perception and cognition, sound and music computing, and virtual, augmented, and extended reality. She studies how auditory and haptic feedback can shape interaction and make virtual experiences more perceptually convincing, and has worked on sound modeling, sound design, and interactive audio.

Her research and academic leadership have also addressed multisensory experiences in rehabilitation, hearing and audiology, and music and technology. At Aalborg University, she led the Multisensory Experience Lab and the MSc programme in Sound and Music Computing, and supervised MSc and PhD students. She has held leadership roles in international sound, music, and virtual-reality communities, chaired conferences, and contributed to editorial boards and research assessment. Her work connects technical approaches to sound and immersive media with questions about perception, accessibility, and how people experience and interact with technology.

Research interests

  • Multimodal perceptionStudies how people perceive and integrate information across sensory modalities.
  • Sound and music computingExplores sound modeling, interactive audio, and computational approaches to music.
  • Immersive experiencesInvestigates sound and multisensory interaction in virtual and extended reality.
  • Audio and hapticsExamines how auditory and tactile feedback can support interaction and experience.
  • Hearing and audiologyWorks on hearing-related research and relevant audiology for young people.

News

  • Received the IEEE Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award.

  • Joined the Technical University of Denmark as professor.

  • Awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog.

  • Selected as the sole TECH representative on Aalborg University's AAU Excellence Scientific Board.

  • Delivered keynote speeches at IEEE VR, XR4Rehab, and the 20 Years of Sound Environments Symposium.

Experience

  1. 2026 – present
    Professor
    Technical University of Denmark
  2. 2022 – present
    Affiliated researcher
    Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Rigshospitalet · Copenhagen, Denmark
  3. 2025 – 2025
    Visiting professor
    New York University · New York, USA
  4. 2018 – 2026
    Professor, Media Technology; Head of the Multisensory Experience Laboratory
    Aalborg University · Copenhagen, Denmark
  5. 2012 – 2018
    Professor (MSO) in Sound for Multimodal Environments; Head of the Multisensory Experience Lab
    Aalborg University · Copenhagen, Denmark
  6. 2006 – 2012
    Associate Professor in Sound Modeling
    Aalborg University · Copenhagen, Denmark
  7. 2003 – 2006
    Assistant Professor in Sound Modeling
    Aalborg University · Copenhagen, Denmark
  8. 2003 – 2003
    Visiting Researcher
    KTH Royal Institute of Technology · Stockholm, Sweden
  9. 2003 – 2003
    Consultant
    VRSonic Inc. · USA
  10. 2003 – 2003
    Visiting Faculty
    University of Virginia · Charlottesville, USA
  11. 2002 – 2002
    Visiting Researcher
    University of Cambridge · UK
  12. 1999 – 1999
    Visiting Scholar
    Stanford University · Stanford, USA
  13. 1997 – 1999
    Researcher and Software Developer
    IRCAM, Analysis–Synthesis Team · Paris, France

Education

  1. 2001 – 2004
    Ph.D. in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
    Stanford University · Stanford, California, USA
  2. 1999 – 2001
    Master in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
    Stanford University, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA)
  3. 1997 – 1998
    DEA-ATIAM (Master's Degree) in Acoustics, Signal Processing, and Computer Science Applied to Music
    IRCAM, Centre G. Pompidou · Paris, France
  4. 1992 – 1996
    Bachelor in Computer Science
    University Ca Foscari · Venice, Italy

Talks

  • Keynote, XR4Rehab Special Session on Multisensory Rendering · Lecco, Italy
  • Keynote, IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR 2025) · St. Malo, France
  • Keynote, 20 Years of Sound Environments Symposium · Lund University, Sweden
  • Keynote, Audio Engineering Society International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio
  • Keynote, GN Resound Annual Event · Ballerup, Denmark
  • Keynote, Danish Sound Days · DTU Skylab, Lyngby, Denmark
  • Keynote, CCRMA Open House · Stanford University, USA
  • Keynote, ACM AudioMostly Conference
  • Keynote, Audio Engineering Society Convention · Dublin, Ireland
  • Keynote, International Conference on Auditory Display · Houghton, USA
  • Keynote, Interactive Audio Systems Symposium · University of York, UK
  • Keynote, Symposium on Sound and Interactivity · Singapore
  • Keynote, Emufest · Rome, Italy
  • Keynote, 4th International Workshop on Cognitive Information Processing (CIP 2014)
  • Keynote, HCI Korea Conference · Seoul, South Korea

Teaching

  • Spatial User Interfaces · MSc in Medialogy, Aalborg University Copenhagen
    Instructor
  • Physical Models for Sound Synthesis · MSc in Sound and Music Computing, Aalborg University Copenhagen
    Instructor
  • Research in Sound and Music Computing · MSc in Sound and Music Computing, Aalborg University Copenhagen
    Instructor
  • Sound Processing · MSc in Sound and Music Computing, Aalborg University Copenhagen
    Instructor
  • Modeling Physical Systems · MSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Multimodal Perception and Cognition · MSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Interactive Acoustics · MSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Design of Immersive Experiences · MSc in Medialogy
    Fall; instructor
  • Multimodal Interaction in Virtual Environments · PhD Course, Aalborg University
    Instructor
  • Cross-Modal Perception · MSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Audio Design · BSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Research Training · MSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Perception (Sound) · BSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Automatic Perception II (Sound) · BSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Automatic Perception I (Sound) · BSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Automatic Perception (Sound) · BSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Sound for Mobile Devices · Helsinki University of Technology (HUT), Finland
    8-hour class
  • Physical Modeling Synthesis · ESMUC, Barcelona
    8-hour class
  • Cross Sensorial Processing · MSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Programming Sound Effects · BSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Music Informatics · BSc in Medialogy
    Instructor
  • Auditory Perception · Medialogy, Aalborg University
    Instructor
  • Medialogy Math I · Aalborg University
    Instructor
  • Soundtrack for Animation · Aalborg University
    Instructor
  • Music Informatics · Medialogy, Aalborg University
    Instructor
  • Computer Applications in Music · University of Virginia
    Instructor
  • Physical Interaction Design Workshop I & II · CCRMA, Stanford University
    Instructor

Service

  • Advisory Board Member, Heka VR
  • Advisory Board Member, SONICOM Project · H2020-FETPROACT-2018-2020
  • Head and Co-founder, MSc Programme in Sound and Music Computing · Aalborg University
    With Prof. Mads G. Christensen
  • Head, Multisensory Experience Lab · Aalborg University Copenhagen
  • Program Co-chair, ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interfaces (SUI)
  • Chair, IEEE VR Workshop on Sonic Interactions in Virtual Environments (SIVE)
  • European Chair, International Computer Music Association (ICMA)
  • Program Committee Member, ACM New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME)
  • Program Committee Member, Digital Audio Effects Conference (DAFx)
  • Program Committee Member, IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (IEEE VR)
  • Technical Program Committee Member, IEEE 3D User Interfaces (3DUI)
  • Program Committee Member, Haptic Audio Interaction Design (HAID)
  • Technical Program Committee Member and Session Chair, Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC)
  • Technical expert, EUREKA EU program
  • External assessor for Bachelor's and Master's theses and courses · Danish Technical University (DTU)
  • Reviewer, EU Commission Future and Emerging Technologies program
  • Reviewer, Research Council of Norway
  • Editorial Board Member, Empathic Computing Journal
  • Editorial Board Member, Frontiers in Virtual Reality
  • Editorial Board Member, Multimodal Technologies and Interaction · MDPI Open Access
  • Chair, Academic Council, Technical Faculty of IT and Design · Aalborg University
  • Member, Mission Management Team for Aalborg University's Mission on the Well-being of Children and Youth · Aalborg University
  • External assessor for Professorship appointment · University of Oslo, Norway
  • President, International Sound and Music Computing Association (SMC)
  • Paper Co-Chair, Audio Engineering Society, Audio in Virtual and Augmented Reality
  • General Chair, Digital Audio Effects Conference (DAFx)
  • Paper Co-chair, ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST)
  • Member, Department Research Committee · Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, Aalborg University
  • Paper co-chair, Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC)
  • Co-editor, Special Issue on Sound and Music Computing, Applied Sciences
    With Vesa Välimäki, Tapio Lokki, and Meinard Müller
  • Co-chair, ACM New Interfaces for Musical Expression Conference (NIME)
  • Scientific Committee Member, eNTERFACE Summer Workshop on Multimodal Interfaces
  • External assessor for Associate Professorship positions · University of Trondheim, Norway
  • External reviewer, Spatial Audio over Virtual and Irregular Arrays · Science Foundation Ireland
  • Reviewer, European Research Council Advanced Grant program
  • Co-editor, Sonic Interaction Design · MIT Press
    With Karmen Franinović
  • General Chair, Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC 2012) · Copenhagen
    July 12–14
  • Scientific Program Chair, Haptic Audio Interaction Design (HAID)
  • Reviewer, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • Paper Chair, International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) · Copenhagen
    August
  • Co-chair, Sound in Interactive Media Workshop · Copenhagen, Denmark
    With Amalia De Goetzen and Juraj Kojs; May
  • Proceedings Chair, Computer Music Modeling and Retrieval (CMMR 2004) · Esbjerg, Denmark
    May
  • Chair for revision of the Medialogy Bachelor study plan and creation of the Cand.Scient. study program · Aalborg University
  • Vice President for Europe, International Computer Music Association (ICMA)
    Until 2021
  • Member, Danish Bibliometric Expert Group on Digital Communication (Group 66)
  • Regular reviewer for journals · Journals listed in the CV
    Includes IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Frontiers in Virtual Reality, International Journal of Human–Computer Studies, IEEE Multimedia, Virtual Reality, Multisensory Research, Computer Music Journal, IEEE Transactions on Haptics, ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces, and Journal of the Audio Engineering Society.
  • Regular reviewer for international conferences · Conferences listed in the CV
    Includes SMC, IEEE VR, IEEE 3DUI, NIME, CHI, ICAD, AudioMostly, ICMC, and VRST.

Awards

  • IEEE Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award
  • Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog · Denmark
    Awarded by H.M. The King of Denmark
  • Teacher of the Year Award · Study Board of Media Technology, Aalborg University
  • Best Use of Sound Award · 28th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD 2023)
  • Danish Sound Prize · Danish Sound Network
    Winner
  • Best Paper Award · Digital Audio Effects Conference (DAFx 2021)
  • ACM 3D User Interfaces Competition · IEEE VR Conference
    Winner, with the project Digital Intonarumori
  • Scholarship · French Embassy in Italy
    One-year training program in France
  • Post-Laurea Fellowship · University of Venice
    Fully funded postgraduate studies abroad

Group

  • Max VaehrensPhD student2025–
  • Anders BargumPhD student2023–
  • Peter KuruczPhD student; external supervisor2023–
  • Nete Rudbeck KamperPhD student; external supervisor2023–
  • Francesco GanisPhD student2022–2026
  • Mark DouradoPhD student2022–2026
  • Razvan PaisaPhD student2021–2024
  • Jesper AndersenPhD student2020–2026
  • Camilla JallerPhD student2019–
  • Silvin WillemsenPhD student; supervisor2018–2021
  • Emil HøegPhD student; co-supervisor2018–2021
  • Lui ThomsenPhD student; co-supervisor2017–2021
  • Ali AdjorluPhD student; supervisor2017–2020
  • Vanessa CarpenterPhD student; co-supervisor2017–2020
  • Jon Ram Bruun PedersenPhD student; co-supervisor2013–2016
  • Justyna MaculewiczPhD student; co-supervisor2013–2016
  • Niels Christian NilssonPhD student; co-supervisor2012–2015
  • Smilen DimitrovPhD student; supervisor2012–2015
  • Niels BottcherPhD student; supervisor2010–2014
  • Luca TurchetPhD student; supervisor2009–2013
  • Steven GelineckPhD student; supervisor2008–2012

Contact

No contact details.

Stefania Serafin · Multimodal perception, sound, and immersive experiences