Projects per year
Personal profile
Experience
Prof. Juan Carlos Vasquez (www.jcvasquez.com) boasts a remarkable trajectory as an award-winning composer, video game researcher, and educator. His creations, ranging from spatial audio works to immersive interactive experiences and game art, have resonated across continents, being featured in over 30 countries spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Vasquez's most prominent awards include the Colombian Ministry of Culture's Contemporary Music Composition Grant and the Audio Engineering Society's Award for Excellence in Art, Design, and the Production of Sound (both 2016); the highly selective Dean’s Grant for exceptional Master’s achievements from Aalto University (2016); a Finnish government grant for artistic creation (2017); a fully funded five-year doctoral award at the University of Virginia (2018); recognition as Primus Master at Aalto University and a commission at the ZKM (both 2019); along with the prestigious Jefferson Fellowship from the University of Virginia (2021). Later, he received a Highly Commended distinction at the Sound of the Year Awards (2022); the Best Computer Music award from the International Computer Music Association (2023); led and curated an exhibition at the renowned Ars Electronica Festival (2024); won Second Prize at Musicacoustica-Hangzhou and the WOCMAT Phil Winsor Award (both 2024); and took First Prize in Composition at the 35th International Competition Città di Barletta in Italy (2025).
Events and venues featuring Prof. Vasquez’s works include Ars Electronica (AU), the Ateneum Art Museum (FI), the Seoul Arts Center (KR) the Lincoln Center (USA), the Hanshan Art Museum (CN), Berklee College of Music (USA), and Matera Intermedia Festival (IT). He earned his M.A. in New Media from Aalto University in Finland and subsequently completed both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Composition and Computer Technologies from the University of Virginia in the United States. Prof. Vasquez is sponsored by Genelec, the world leader in studio monitors, and is a member of the Society of Finnish Composers.
Research interests
Artistic Research
Sound Art
Music Composition and Performance
New Media Art
Gamification
Game Design and Development
Spatial Audio
Music Technology
Experience
Assistant Professor - Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University - January 2024 to Present
Jefferson Fellow - University of Virginia - August 2021 to August 2023
Graduate Teaching Assistant - University of Virginia - August 2018 to July 2021
Lecturer and Researcher - Aalto University - March 2015 to 2018
Teaching
CAT208TC - Audio Landscape Design
CAT403TC - Interactive Technology
CAT105TC - Entertainment Technology
Awards and honours
2024 20th WOCMAT Phil Winsor International Youth Computer Music Competition Award | December 2024
Second Prize | Musicacoustica-Hangzhou 2024 Electroacoustic Music Composition Competition| October 2024
”Best Computer Music” Award | Latin American Showcase of the International Computer Music Association | July 2023
Sound of the Year Awards 2021 | Composed with Sound Category | Highly Commended | 2022
Recipient of the Jefferson Fellowship | The premier graduate fellowship offered at the University of Virginia | Jefferson Scholars Foundation | Charlottesville, VA, USA | 2021
Outstanding Leonardo Peer Reviewer of the season | MIT Press | Boston, MI, USA | 2020
WOCMAT 2019 International Electroacoustic Music Young Composer Award | National Tsing Hua University | Taiwan | 2019 | Nominated
Primus Master at the Conferment Ceremony of the School of Arts, Design, and Architecture | Aalto University | Espoo, Finland | 2019
The Engine Room 2019: International Sound Art Competition | London, UK | 2019 | Finalist
Concept Award DigiDemo | The Promotion Center for Audiovisual Culture (AVEK) | Helsinki, Finland | 2017
ACM/SIGCHI Best of CHI awards - Honorable mention (Paper) | CHI’17, Denver | 2017
Dean’s Grant for Exceptional Merit | Aalto University | 2016
Award to Excellence in Art, Design, and the Production of Sound | Klingtgut Symposium on Sound, the Audio Engineering Society’s president, and the AES Student Section in Hamburg | Germany | 2016
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Related documents
Education/Academic qualification
Master, M.A. in New Media (2016), Aalto University
PhD, in Composition and Computer Technologies (2023), University of Virginia
Master, M.A. in Music (Composition) (2020), University of Virginia
External positions
Honorary Associate, University of Liverpool UK
10 Jan 2024 → 10 Jan 2027
Research areas
- Game Development
- Music Technology
- Sound Art
- Interactive Media
Keywords
- M Music
- Sound Art
- Electroacoustic Music
- Spatial Audio
- Game Studies
- Gamification
- Game Development
Person Types
- Staff
Fingerprint
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
Projects
- 2 Active
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Echoes in Space: Reimagining Chinese Traditional Instruments through Immersive Audio
Vasquez Gomez, J. C. (PI) & Chen, Z. (CoI)
1/01/25 → 31/12/26
Project: Internal Research Project
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CoESE: Beyond Boundaries: Syntegrating Capstone, FYP, and Industry Innovations
Lo, J. (PI), King, A. (Team member), He, T. (Team member), Xun, J. (Team member), Zenchenkov, M. (Team member), Tan, A. H. P. (Team member), Zhu, F. (Team member), Huang, S. (Team member), Huang, S. (Team member), Xiong, L. (Team member), Vasquez Gomez, J. C. (Team member), Ateeq, M. (Team member), Liu, J. (Team member), Lau, T. C. (Team member) & Zhao, Y. (Team member)
1/09/24 → 31/08/26
Project: Internal Research Project
Research output
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City Class series: Online Lecture 4: Visit an art exhibition? Or take part in one yourself?”
Chen, Z. (Designer), Wheeler, 威廉 (Designer) & Vasquez, J. C. (Composer), 7 Jun 2025Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Recorded/rendered creative work: Website/ Web-based Exhibition
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First Prize at the 35th International Competition “Città di Barletta” - Work: Ecstasy and Inertia
Vasquez, J. C. (Composer), 18 May 2025Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Physical Exhibition/ Event/ Festival
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"Recursive Radiance" at Ignite the Arts Festival 2025
Vasquez, J. C. (Composer) & Chen, Z. (Performer), 30 Mar 2025Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Physical Exhibition/ Event/ Festival
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"Recursive Radiance" at the International Computer Music Conference 2025
Vasquez, J. C. (Composer) & Chen, Z. (Performer), 13 Jun 2025Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Physical Exhibition/ Event/ Festival
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The AI Imperative in Music
Vasquez, J. C., 28 Mar 2025, In: Journal SEAMUS. 33, 1-2, p. 15-16Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile425 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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Seminar at the i_mBODY Lab: “Interdisciplinary Creative Systems in the Post-Digital Era: Fusing 3D Audio, Intermedia Art, and Game Design”
Juan Carlos Vasquez Gomez (Speaker)
18 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Jefferson Scholars Foundation (External organisation)
Juan Carlos Vasquez Gomez (Member)
1 Dec 2024 → 16 Dec 2024Activity: Membership › Membership of committee
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International Symposium on Electronic/Emerging Art (ISEA) (External organisation)
Juan Carlos Vasquez Gomez (Member)
23 Aug 2024 → 6 Jan 2025Activity: Membership › Membership of committee
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Exploring the intersection between 3d audio, AI, and videogames: Experiences from XJTLU in China
Juan Carlos Vasquez Gomez (Speaker)
8 Aug 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation at conference/workshop/seminar
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Gamification and Sound Art
Juan Carlos Vasquez Gomez (Speaker)
10 May 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation at conference/workshop/seminar