allô. I develop action-oriented systems for digital fabrication applications informed by craft workflows through collaboration with domain experts. I recently defended my Ph.D. in Media Arts and Technology at the University of California Santa Barbara, where I worked with Professor Jennifer Jacobs in the Expressive Computation Lab. In the fall, I will begin my postdoctoral research at Princeton with Professor Daniela Mitterberger in the XAIA Lab.

I also make art and perform with various materials.

You can reach out to samuelle.bourgault [at] gmail.com

education

2025_2026/27 ︎︎︎ Upcoming Postdoct, XAIA Lab, Princeton, NJ, USA

2019_2025 ︎︎︎ Ph.D. in Media Arts and Technology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

2019_2022 ︎︎︎ Master of Science in Media Arts and Technology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

2016_2019 ︎︎︎ Bacchelor of Fine Arts in Computation Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CAN

2011_2015 ︎︎︎ Bacchelor of Engineering in Physics Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, CAN

2013_2014 ︎︎︎ International Student Exchange, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque,  NM, USA


publications

Bourgault, S., Wei, L.-Y., Jacobs, J., and Habib Kazi, R., Narrative Motion Blocks: Combining Direct Manipulation and Natural Language Interactions for Animation Creation, DIS 2025, Funchal, Portugal. doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3715336.3735766 🏆 Best Paper Award (top 1%)

Moyer, I., Bourgault, S., Frost, D., and Jacobs J., Don't Mesh Around: Streamlining Manual-Digital Fabrication Workflows with Domain-Specific 3D Scanning, UIST 2024, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3654777.3676385 🏆 Best Demo Award

Bourgault, S., and Jacobs J., Millipath: Bridging Materialist Theory and System Development for Surface Texture Fabrication, DIS 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark. doi: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661599

Toka*, M., Frost* D., Bourgault, S., Farber, A., Friedman-Gerlicz, C., Paek, E.-H., Lee, R., Wiley, P., Jacobs, J., Practice-driven Software Development: A Collaborative Method for Digital Fabrication Systems Research in a Residency Program, DIS 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark. doi: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661522

Moyer, I., Bourgault, S., Frost, D., and Jacobs, J., Throwing Out Conventions: Reimagining Craft-Centered CNC Tool Design through the Digital Pottery Wheel, CHI 2024, Hawai’i, USA. doi:  https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642361  🏆 Best Paper Award (top 1%)

Toka*, M., Bourgault*, S., Friedman-Gerlicz, C., and Jacobs, J., An Adaptable Workflow for Manual-Computational Ceramic Surface Ornamentation, UIST 2023, San Francisco, USA. doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3586183.3606726  *Equal Contribution

Bourgault, S., Wiley, P., Farber, A., and Jacobs, J., CoilCAM: Enabling Parametric Design for Clay 3D Printing Through an Action-Oriented Toolpath Programming System, CHI 2023, Hamburg, Germany. doi:  https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580745 ⭐️ Best Paper Honorable Mention (top 5%)

Bourgault, S., and Jacobs, J., Preserving Hand-Drawn Qualities in Audiovisual Performance Through Sketch-Based Interaction, Journal of Computation Languages, 2023, Elsevier (Extended Version of the VL/HCC paper) doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cola.2022.101186

Bourgault, S., and Jacobs, J., Preserving Hand-Drawn Qualities in Audiovisual Performance Through Sketch-Based Interaction, VL/HCC 2021, St. Louis, MO, USA (Virtual Event) doi: 10.1109/VL/HCC51201.2021.9576315

Benabdallah*, G., Bourgault*, S., Peek, N., and Jacobs, J., Remote Learners, Home Makers: How Digital Fabrication Was Taught Online, CHI 2021, Tokyo, Japan (Virtual Event) doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445450 ⭐️ Best Paper Honorable Mention (top 5%) *Equal Contribution

Bourgault, S., Forgues, E., and Jacobs, J., Experimenting with Robotic Softness, ISEA 2020, Montreal, CAN (Virtual Event). Available here.

Khaled, R., Sych, S., Bourgault, S., and Barr, P., NEO//QAB: Creating a World Through Speculative Play, ISEA 2020, Montreal, CAN (Virtual Event).


other writings

Bourgault, S.Developing Action-Oriented Systems for Manual-Computational Craft Workflows, UIST 2023 Adjunct, Doctoral Symposium, San Francisco, USA. doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3586182.3616708

Bourgault, S. and E, J., Exploring the Horizon of Computation for Creativity, XRDS 29, 4 (Summer 2023), doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3596921

Bourgault, S., Frost, D., Wiley, P., Farber, A., and Jacobs, J., Demonstration of CoilCAM: an Action-Oriented Toolpath Programming System for Clay 3D Printing. CHI 2023 Extended Abstracts, Hamburg, Germany. doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3583921


exhibitions

2025 ︎︎︎ Deep Cut, EoYS 2025 in Media Arts and Technology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

2024 ︎︎︎ Materials Collection, Center for Craft, Asheville, NC, USA

2024 ︎︎︎ soft AI+M, EoYS 2024 in Media Arts and Technology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

2023 ︎︎︎ ISEA 2023, Forum des Images, Paris, FR

2022 ︎︎︎ PHUSIS: Projet Emergent, perte de signal, Montreal, QC, CAN

2022 ︎︎︎ Eco(Systems) of Hope @ Anteism Books, Montreal, QC, CAN  [as somme]

2022 ︎︎︎ SYMADES, EoYS 2022 in Media Arts and Technology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

2019 ︎︎︎ ELEKTRA XX at Oboro, Montreal, QC, CAN [as somme]

2019 ︎︎︎ Sight+Sound, Eastern Bloc, Montreal, QC, CAN

2019 ︎︎︎ ICRA-X: Robotic Art Program, ICRA 2019, Montreal, QC, CAN

2018 ︎︎︎ You are here, Computation Arts Graduation Show, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CAN  [as somme]

2018 ︎︎︎ Winter Programming 2018, VAV Gallery, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CAN

2018 ︎︎︎ Art Crush in Time, Art Matters 2018, Galerie Articule, Montreal, QC, CAN

2017 ︎︎︎ Mutek - Next Era, Maison du développement durable, Montreal, QC, CAN

2017 ︎︎︎ May Contain, Computation Arts Graduation Show - Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CAN


performances

2021 ︎︎︎ Mutek with GOLPESAR (Rouzbeh Shadpey), Cinquième Salle, Montreal, QC, CAN

2019 ︎︎︎ sun sets, OFFTA 2019, Édifice Wilder—Espace danse, Montreal, QC, CAN

2019 ︎︎︎ RIPA 2019, Fonderie Darling, Montreal, QC, CAN

2018 ︎︎︎ pedagogy, Art Matters 2018, Espace Projet, Montreal, QC, CAN

2018 ︎︎︎ IN BLOOM, Eastern Bloc, Montreal, QC, CAN


talks

2025 ︎︎︎ Grasshopper in Architecture class, University of New Mexico, Virtual Event.
Host: Camila Friedman-Gerlicz

2024 ︎︎︎ Computational Fabrication class, University of New Mexico, Virtual Event.
Host: Leah Buechley

2024 ︎︎︎ DIS 2024, IT University, Copenhagen, DK

2024 ︎︎︎ UCSD Vis Arts Seminar Series, University of California San Diego , Virtual Event.
Host: Sölen Kiratli

2024 ︎︎︎ Open Source Arts Contributors Conference, Denver, USA

2024 ︎︎︎ ATLAS Colloquium, Boulder, USA.
Host: Ellen Do

2023 ︎︎︎ Doctoral Symposium, UIST 2023, Fairmont, San Francisco, USA

2023 ︎︎︎ Focus Québec, ISEA 2023, Forum des images, Paris, FR

2023 ︎︎︎ CHI 2023, HHC, Hamburg, GE

2021 ︎︎︎ VL/HCC 2021, Virtual Event

2021 ︎︎︎ CHI 2021, Virtual Event

2020 ︎︎︎ ISEA 2020, Virtual Event

2019 ︎︎︎ MIAN – International Marketplace for Digital Art, Centre Phi, Montreal, QC, CAN

academic service

2025 ︎︎︎ Associate Chair for CHI 2025 Paper Track, Reviewer for DIS 2025, UIST 2025, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing

2025 ︎︎︎ Associate Chair for TEI 2025 Paper Track

2024 ︎︎︎ Associate Chair for DIS 2024 Pictorials Track

2024 ︎︎︎ Reviewer for IEEE VR 2024

2023 ︎︎︎ Guest Editor for the XRDS Magazine, Summer 2023 edition

2023 ︎︎︎ Reviewer for CHI 2023, SCF 2023

2022 ︎︎︎ Reviewer for UIST 2022, SCF 2022 and C&C 2022

2021 ︎︎︎ Reviewer for DIS 2021


work

2024 ︎︎︎ Research Scientist/Engineer Intern with Rubaiat Habib, Li-Yi Wei, Wilmot Li, Adobe Research, Adobe Inc, Seattle, WA, USA

2020_ ︎︎︎ Graduate Student Researcher with Professor Jennifer Jacobs, Expressive Computation Lab, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

2017_2019 ︎︎︎ Research Assistant with Professor Rilla Khaled, Technoculture, Art, and Games (TAG), Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CAN

2017_2019 ︎︎︎ Research Assistant with Professor Jason Lewis, Obx Labs, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CAN

2017_2019 ︎︎︎ Teacher Assistant in Creative Computing with Professor Pippin Barr, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, CAN

2018 ︎︎︎ Lead Programmer and Programming Instructor for Skins 6.0 Workshop, The Initiative for Indigenous Future, Montreal, QC, CAN and Kanaeokana, Honolulu, HW, USA


notable awards

2025 ︎︎︎ Princeton Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship

2021 ︎︎︎ Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowships, Canada

2020 ︎︎︎ William and Meredith Saunderson Prizes for Emerging Artists from the Hnatyshyn Foundation

2019 ︎︎︎ Chancellor’s Fellowship from the University of California Santa-Barbara

2019 ︎︎︎ Master’s Scholarship, Fond de Recherche du Québec - Société et Culture

2019 ︎︎︎ Computation Arts Prize at Concordia University Convocation

2017 ︎︎︎ Public Award at Mutek Next Era Competition

2014 ︎︎︎ Feynman Award for best student in Contemporary Physics from University of New Mexico Albuquerque

2014 ︎︎︎ Roger-Lessard Scholarship for best student in Mathematics from Polytechnique Montreal

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