Sasan Matinfar

Research Interests

My research focuses on the intersection of sound, multisensory interaction, and medical technology, with particular interests in medical sonification, multisensory extended reality, and user-centered design for clinical applications.

• Medical Sonification and Sonic Interaction Design
• Advanced Multisensory Processing in Extended Reality (XR)
• User-Centered Design for Medical Applications

Curriculum Vitae

Sasan Matinfar is a research scientist at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), specializing in Sonic Interaction Design (SID) and Advanced Multisensory Processing in Extended Reality (XR) for medical applications. He is also affiliated with the Munich Center for Machine Learning (MCML), where he contributes to interdisciplinary research combining AI, medical imaging, and human-computer interaction. His doctoral research, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Nassir Navab, focuses on developing novel XR paradigms that integrate real-time sonification of tissue data to enhance surgical decision-making and intraoperative precision. Sasan holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), and also brings a strong foundation in the arts with a background in Musicology (Franz Liszt University of Music, Weimar) and Piano Interpretation (Art University of Tehran). This unique interdisciplinary perspective has allowed him to pioneer hybrid approaches at the intersection of music, medicine, technology, and human cognitive psychology. Since 2020, he has served as scientific staff at the Rechts der Isar Hospital, leading key developments in AI-assisted sonification, model-based feedback systems, and multimodal XR platforms for surgical environments. 

His work has been recognized with multiple awards, including The Data Sonification Award (2025), a Best Paper Nomination at MICCAI 2023, and the MICCAI Young Scientist Award (2017). His contributions have appeared in Medical Image Analysis, IEEE TVCG, Scientific Reports, and IJCARS. He actively presents his research at leading international conferences, including MICCAI, IEEE ISMAR, Nordic SMC, and IPMI.

In addition to research, Sasan actively contributes to the academic community as an organizer of the Medical Augmented Reality Summer School in Zurich and China, and as lead inventor on several international patents in the domain of auditory and XR-based surgical assistance systems. 

His collaborative work spans several renowned institutions, including the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano, the Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI) at TU Dresden, Balgrist Hospital Zurich, Bielefeld University’s Center of Excellence in Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), and Concordia University’s Topological Media Lab.

Awards

The Data Sonification Awards – 2025

Best Paper Award Nominee – MICCAI 2023 (Top 3% of accepted papers)

Young Scientist Award – MICCAI 2017 (Top 2% of accepted papers)

Professional Services

• Co-Organizer of the Medical Augmented Reality Summer School
• Reviewer at MICCAI and IEEE ISMAR