Category: Staff

This is the sub-category for Staff posts. Any posts within this sub-category will be displayed under the Staff header on the People page.

Dr. Michael Rhoades

IDIA Lab People, Staff
A middle-aged man with glasses and a trimmed gray beard is standing in front of a geometric, futuristic background.
A middle-aged man with glasses and a trimmed gray beard is standing in front of a geometric, futuristic background.

Dr. Michael Rhoades is Lead HCI Artist/Researcher at Ball State University’s IDIA Lab, where his work sits at the intersection of quantum computing, spatial audio, artificial intelligence, and visual art. His current research pioneers quantum computational creativity — the direct transduction of quantum hardware execution into quantum computer music and time-based stereoscopic visualization — establishing a fundamentally new paradigm in which the quantum computer itself functions as a generative artistic instrument. This work, developed through a three-way creative symbiosis between human artistic vision, AI collaboration, and quantum physical systems, produces creative material that is physically impossible to replicate through classical computing.

Dr. Rhoades holds a BFA in Creative Technologies from Virginia Tech’s School of Visual Arts and an interdisciplinary PhD in Computer Science, Musical Art, and Visual Art, also from Virginia Tech, completed in 2020. His doctoral and post-doctoral research has encompassed holographic and holophonic media, supercomputing, spatial audio composition, and XR development — a breadth of practice that converges in his current quantum research program.

The Quantum Computational Creativity project has progressed through three completed phases of real hardware execution on Quantum Inspire’s Tuna-9 processor, producing seven quantum computer music compositions totaling 76 minutes, full quantum state tomographic datasets across eight novel entanglement schemas, and stereoscopic VR visualizations derived directly from Bloch sphere trajectory data. A paper documenting this methodology has been submitted to Computer Music Journal’s special issue on Quantum Computer Music. Phase IV, targeting 144 qubits across IBM’s Heron-series processors, is in active preparation.

At the IDIA Lab, Dr. Rhoades also serves as XR Instructor, Digital Audio Specialist, and AI Research/Development lead. His broader creative practice encompasses oil painting, computer music composition, holophonic and pseudo-holographic visual music, and theoretical writing on creativity and metaphysics. Examples of his work across all areas are available at perceptionfactory.com and quantumcomputationalcreativity.com.

Cirriculum Vitae

Adam Kobitz

ihenning People, Staff
A man with short dark hair, slight facial hair, and a blue collared shirt looks at the camera with a neutral expression. A blurred background is visible.

3D Virtual Worlds Modeler and Animator

Adam graduated from Ball State with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2012, then returned to pursue his Master’s of Fine Arts in Animation the following year. After two years with IDIA Lab as a graduate assistant, Adam continued his time with the team as staff starting in 2014. As a 3D generalist, Adam’s skillset primarily includes modelling, texturing, lighting, rendering, and compositing. In addition to his 3D work, Adam is also a 107 certified sUAS/drone pilot and spends his free time travelling the country to compete in professional-level drone racing competitions.


Cirriculum Vitae



Neil Zehr

IDIA Lab Staff
A man with light brown hair wearing a blue plaid shirt smiles at the camera, with a blurred indoor background.

Neil earned his B.S. in the Digital Media Arts program at Huntington University in Huntington, IN. During his years there, he studied various traditional animation techniques, computer animation, and computer graphics while also working on several freelance projects and showcasing his films in Huntington’s annual media showcase. Following his graduation in the summer of 2008, he joined the IDIA at Ball State as a virtual worlds 3D modeler and animator. Visit Neil’s website for more information.


Cirriculum Vitae

Trevor Danehy

IDIA Lab Staff
Man with short dark hair and beard wearing a white collared shirt, standing indoors against a blurred background.

3D Virtual Worlds Modeler and Animator

Trevor Danehy graduated from Ball State with a Bachelor of Fine Arts specializing in 3d animation in 2007. Trevor’s primary skillsets are with high detail 3d modeling and texturing with programs like Pixologic, Zbrush, and Adobe Substance Painter. Trevor also developed methods of quick optimization of photogrammetry model generation. Also as a 3d generalist, he uses Autodesk Maya to glue all these processes together. Trevor has knowledge of every aspect of 3d, anywhere from sculpting and retopology, to high definition rendering workflow.


Cirriculum Vitae