Jernej Barbič wins Academy Award for Ziva VFX technology

Jernej Barbič, a computer science professor at the University of Southern California, has received a 2025 technical achievement Academy Award for his work on the Ziva VFX software system.

Ziva VFX enables the creation of highly realistic muscle, fat, and skin simulations for 3D digital humans and creatures. The technology was originally launched in 2016 by Ziva Dynamics, a startup co-founded by Barbič and headquartered in Vancouver, which was later acquired by San Francisco-based Unity Technologies in 2021.

The software has been utilized in over 60 motion pictures, including titles such as ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’, and ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’. Barbič noted that the award highlights how mathematical and scientific concepts can bridge the gap between technical fields and the art of cinematic storytelling.