Kıvanç Tatar appointed professor of digital arts at the Uniarts Helsinki Research Institute
The full-time professorship has an emphasis on artificial intelligence and co-creativity. The appointment decision was made by Uniarts Helsinki together with ELLIS Institute, and the employment will start in December 2026.
Currently, Kıvanç Tatar works as associate professor in interactive AI at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. Prior to this, he has worked as postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technologies at Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland.
He has earned a PhD in interactive arts and technology from Simon Fraser University in Canada in 2019. He completed a Master of Music degree in Sonic Arts at the Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM) at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey.
Tatar’s research profile is situated at the intersection of AI, machine learning and digital art. He is interested in novel artistic affordances of computational systems, while critically engaging with their societal challenges.
As professor, Tatar’s aim is to put the artist at the forefront of technology-making while also taking the societal implications of technology into consideration.
“Perhaps we’ve lost track of this angle in the last few years, even though historically, artistic practices have been one of the most prominent in exploring new aesthetics and affordances of technology in all subcategories of machine learning and AI advancements. Artists have also often engaged with these autonomous algorithms in a critical manner in their public discourse, much like today,” Tatar commented.
He plans to focus on three main research directions: artistic technology research with machine learning and AI, conceptualising and studying actors and ecosystems of creativity and critical computing for unpacking societal implications of machine learning and AI.
Strong research and teaching merits in the field of creative AI
According to Director of the Uniarts Helsinki Research Institute Leena Rouhiainen, Tatar’s expertise is a perfect fit for Uniarts Helsinki, helping the university improve its understanding of the possibilities of AI both in the arts and in research.
Uniarts Helsinki’s recruitment committee noted that Tatar has a well-established AI arts practice, as well as a strong track record in research and teaching, specifically in the field of creative AI.
“Tatar’s creative work intersects with a very broad range of creative practices, including music, dance, visual arts and multimedia,” the recruitment committee stated.
According to the committee, Tatar’s main strengths include a proven ability to be published in top journals and conferences, a track record combining both high-quality research publications as well as sustained artistic practice recognised through public exhibitions and performances, technical depth, experience in teaching interdisciplinary arts and technology topics and an excellent network of international and interdisciplinary collaborators.
“Tatar’s funding record demonstrates ability to lead major research projects and credibility and experience in managing complex initiatives that integrate ethical and societal dimensions of AI.”
World-class research centre for AI
At the beginning of 2025, Finland’s 13 universities received a total of 10 million euros to fund AI professorships. The donation was from Foundation PS, established by Peter Sarlin.
With Uniarts Helsinki being one of the donation recipients, Rector Kaarlo Hildén noted that Peter Sarlin’s donation is unique in scale when it comes to investments in AI research.
“I’m especially thankful for the fact that the donation also takes the special characteristics and possibilities of art into consideration in the development of the discipline. I believe that the professorship combining fields of art and AI research is an important expansion to the Finnish AI expertise, and it will promote both scientific and artistic breakthroughs.”
Ellis Institute Finland is a world-class research centre in the field of AI and machine learning. It is part of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) network.
The institute receives funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture, its partner organisations as well as private sources such as Foundation PS, which aims at strengthening the AI ecosystem in Finland and across Europe.