Akito van Troyer

Assistant Professor
Faculty Bio E-Mail
avantroyer@berklee.edu
Telephone
617-747-8963
Personal Websites
Akito van Troyer's website

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Akito van Troyer is an assistant professor of electronic production and design at Berklee College of Music and a research affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. His interdisciplinary research focuses on the exploration and development of new musical experiences that enrich people's lives and impact the future of human expression. He conducts and accomplishes his research through innovations in the fields of musical instrument design, music production, performance, and audience participation. He obtained his Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab in 2018, designing and building innovative interactive music systems that inspire and guide people in discovering their own musical language. Van Troyer completed his master's degree at the MIT Media Lab in 2012, designing new performance systems that encourage audience participation and augment the experience of audience members through interconnected networks. He also earned a master's degree in 2010 from the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology, building computer-based live performance platforms for laptop orchestra.

Awards
  • Recipient of the Bill Mitchell Design Award at the Connected Care Hackathon hosted by the MIT Design Lab, 2017
  • Recipient of the People's Choice Award for Most Unusual Musical Instrument at the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, 2017
  • Recipient of the Best Artwork Award at the ACM Creativity and Cognition conference, 2011
Education
  • Ph.D., MIT Media Lab, media arts and sciences 
  • M.S., MIT Media Lab, media arts and sciences 
  • M.S., Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology, music technology 
  • B.A., University of Hawaii at Manoa, interdisciplinary studies for multimedia 
In Their Own Words

"I want students to come away from my classes with an essential knowledge related to electronic and computer music, competence and confidence in computational problem solving, reinforced skills to conduct interdisciplinary research, and a greater appreciation for collaboration and diversity."

"My background contributes to my teaching by giving me the extensive teaching experience on subjects related to music technology from my experience as a visiting professor at Colorado College and teaching assistant at the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology and the MIT Media Lab, over six years of experience in organizing and facilitating workshops related to music and technologies, and mentoring experience on research-based intellectual collaborations at the MIT Media Lab and Colorado College."