Mirjana Nikolić diplomirala je na Fakultetu tehničkih nauka u Novom Sadu 1990. godine sa radom iz oblasti računarske grafike na temu Softverska podrška simulatoru leta aviona. Diplomski rad je bio deo projekta na Institutu Mihajlo Pupin u Beogradu. Postdiplomske studije iz računarske grafike završila je na City University of New York na Katedri za računarske nauke pod mentorstvom profesora Džordža Volberga.
Karijeru u računarskoj grafici započela je u Disney Feature Animation, 1994. godine kao tehnički direktor. Više od 17 godina je provela u produkciji animiranih filmova kao specijalista za tehničku animaciju, simulaciju, vizuelne efekte (VFX), look dev i programiranje alata za produkciju. Sedam godina je radila u Pixar studiju na filmovima: Monsters Inc., Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, kao i na kratkim filmovima i Diznilend atrakcijama. Tokom karijere radila je i u DreamWorks Studios na razvoju efekata za film Shrek i u Image Movers Digital (IMD) u departmanu za istraživanje i razvoj novih tehnologija.
Od 2011. godine predaje na Cogswell College u Silicijumskoj dolini na katedri za Digitalnu umetnost i animaciju. Godine 2020. prelazi na Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) gde radi kao stalni profesor na Katedri za vizuelne efekte. Osim toga, predaje na kursevima iz oblasni vizuelnih efekata i tehničke animacije kao što su: Dynamics, Cloth and Hair Simulation, Compositing, Lighting for Animation, Real Time Effects, Shader Programming, Level Design i drugi.
Mirjana Nikolić graduated from the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad in 1990 with a thesis on computer graphics, developing software support for a flight simulator as part of a project at the Mihajlo Pupin Institute in Belgrade. She continued her postgraduate studies in computer graphics at the City University of New York, mentored by Professor George Wolberg.
Her career in computer graphics began in 1994 at Disney Feature Animation, where she worked as a technical director. She spent over 17 years in animated film production specializing in technical animation, simulation, visual effects (VFX), look development, and production tool programming. She worked for seven years at Pixar on films such as Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, as well as on short films and Disneyland attractions. Her career also includes work at DreamWorks Studios, developing effects for Shrek, and at ImageMovers Digital (IMD) in their R&D department for new technologies.
Since 2011, she has been teaching at Cogswell College in Silicon Valley in the Department of Digital Art and Animation. In 2020, she joined Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where she is a full-time professor in the Visual Effects Department. In addition, she teaches courses in technical animation and VFX, including Dynamics, Cloth and Hair Simulation, Compositing, Lighting for Animation, Real-Time Effects, Shader Programming, Level Design, and more.
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