PeopleofSuperintelligence

Lab leader

Gavin Miller

Gavin Miller is a computer graphics researcher and AI lab leader whose career spans rendering, animation, robotics, and creative software. He earned a Ph.D. at Cambridge in 1986, led Natural Phenomena at Alias Research, joined Apple, and later worked at Interval Research. At Adobe, he became vice president and fellow for the Imagination Lab and developed biologically inspired snake robots that appeared in museums. In June 2019, he appeared on Lex Fridman’s podcast as Head of Adobe Research. In September 2025, he is Head of Adobe Research, and the team helps improve Photoshop features.

Timeline

  1. 1986–1988

    A Cambridge PhD and two labs

    He completes a Ph.D. at Cambridge University in 1986 and leads Natural Phenomena at Alias Research in Toronto. He joins Apple’s Advanced Technology Group in 1988.

  2. 1988

    Snake and worm dynamics

    In 1988, he publishes The Motion Dynamics of Snakes and Worms in SIGGRAPH.

  3. 1998

    Light fields at Interval

    At Interval Research, he presents light-field algorithms and ray-traced sprites; the results appear in the 1998 Eurographics Rendering Workshop.

  4. 2016

    Imagination Lab leadership

    In 2016, he is vice president and fellow for Adobe Research’s Imagination Lab, where he cultivates an environment for creative work.

  5. By 2017

    Snake robots in museums

    By 2017, he has built biologically inspired snake robots that appear in multiple museums, including the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

  6. June 2019

    Lex Fridman podcast

    In June 2019, he appears on Lex Fridman’s podcast as Head of Adobe Research.

  7. June 2019

    Deep learning for creative tools

    Adobe Research aims to make creative work easier and automate tedious tasks. Deep learning methods can shine for these applications.

  8. September 2025

    Head of Adobe Research

    In September 2025, he is Head of Adobe Research, where the team helps improve Photoshop features.

Career

  1. From 1988Apple
  2. 1986–1988Alias ResearchLead, Natural Phenomena
  3. Adobe ResearchVice President and Fellow
  4. AdobeHead of Adobe Research

Education

  1. 1986University of CambridgePh.D.

From the biography.

Videos

YouTube videos in which Gavin Miller speaks or appears, newest first. A model chose them from YouTube search results. List updated 20 October 2026.

  1. Gavin Miller: Adobe Research | Lex Fridman Podcast #23Lex Fridman · 10 June 2019 · 1 h 9 min

Video data from YouTube API Services. By watching you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service. How we use YouTube data.

  1. Of 943 people shaping AI who worked at Google, 446 work there nowIncludes Apple. Our estimates of where the 943 people shaping AI who worked at Google and Google DeepMind work now: 446 at Google and 452 across 278 other organizations.
  2. Google alumni have founded or led 133 other organizations, more than any other AI labIncludes Apple. We estimate that alumni of 17 major AI labs went on to found or lead 350 other organizations, including 226 they founded, and we trace 472 career moves directly between 23 labs since 2010.
  3. Among employers with 30+ full-time cases, OpenAI leads primary technical role H-1B pay at $310,000, and Amazon, Google and Microsoft file 57% of all casesIncludes Apple. Across 440,669 certified US H-1B filings from 44 employers (FY2020–FY2026), OpenAI leads primary technical role base pay at $310,000 and xAI leads overall base pay at $290,000.
  4. The top 10 organizations employed 22% of people shaping AI in 2025: 51% of company researchers and 21% of university researchersIncludes Apple. We estimate the share of people shaping AI who worked at the top 10 organizations each year from 1955 to 2025, comparing concentration across companies, universities, and institutes and labs.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Gavin Miller yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Lazy Light Fields and Hyper Sprites graphics.stanford.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Gavin Miller Brings Robots to Squiggling, Squirming Life blog.adobe.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Bringing Innovation to Life blog.adobe.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Gavin Miller: Adobe Research lexfridman.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Photoshop turns 35: How Adobe Research helps keep creatives on the cutting edge research.adobe.com. Checked 20 October 2026.