Jared Watrous

I'm a 2nd-year Computer Science MS student at Stanford. I received my BA in Computer Science and Minor in Math from UC Berkeley in May 2023. I specialize in classical and machine learning algorithms for computer graphics and vision. I'm especially interested in applications related to film, animation, and other media.

I have been working at Stanford's NeuroAILab since October 2023. My research primarily focuses on novel view synthesis and camera pose prediction using counterfactual world modeling.

I have a strong background in graphics, systems design, and AI. I also have moderate experience with game and web development. On my own time, I like to create short animated films and write music.

Education

Stanford University - Computer Science MS Candidate	Sept 2023 - Present
UC Berkeley - Computer Science BA & Math Minor 1	Aug 2020 - May 2023
Pioneer High School - San Jose, CA 2	Class of 2020

¹Dean's List 2 terms, Distinction in General Scholarship
²Valedictorian, Class of 2020

Research

Stanford Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (NeuroAILab)	Daniel Yamins	Oct 2023 - Present

Publications

• [ICCV 2025, in proceedings] 3D scene understanding using local random access sequence modeling
  Wanhee Lee, Klemen Kotar, Jared Watrous, Rahul Mysore Venkatesh, Honglin Chen, Khai Loong Aw, Khaled Jedoui, Daniel LK Yamins
  
• [CCN 2025, in proceedings] On the Origin of 3D Perception in Visual World Models
  Wanhee Lee, Klemen Kotar, Jared Watrous, Rahul Mysore Venkatesh, Honglin Chen, Khai Loong Aw, Khaled Jedoui, Daniel LK Yamins
  
• [arXiv 2025] 3D Scene Understanding Through Local Random Access Sequence Modeling (LRAS)
  Wanhee Lee*, Klemen Kotar*, Rahul Mysore Venkatesh*, Jared Watrous*, Honglin Chen*, Khai Loong Aw, Daniel LK Yamins. arXiv 2025. *Equal contribution
  Website | Paper
• [CCN 2024] A biologically plausible route to learn 3D perception
  Wanhee Lee*, Jared Watrous*, Honglin Chen, Klemen Kotar, Tyler Bonnen, Daniel Yamins. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. Boston, Massachusetts, 2024. *Equal contribution
  Abstract | Paper

Academic Papers & Presentations

• [Stanford CS248A] Real-Time Soft Shadows
  Video Demo | Paper | Code
• [Stanford CS468] Spelke Object Segmentation with (Causal) Counterfactual World Modeling
  Slides (PDF) | Paper
• [Stanford CS224W] PyG PR: G-Mixup data augmentation for graph classification
  GitHub PR
• [Stanford CS348K] Light Culling Methods for Real-time Rendering Applications
  Slides (PDF) | Paper | Supplementary Video | Code
• [Stanford CS234] A Comparative Analysis of Reinforcement Learning Methods for Stratospheric Balloon Station Keeping
  Poster | Paper
• [Stanford CS448I] Exploring Unrolled Optimization
  Poster | Paper
• [Stanford CS236] Adapting Text-to-Image Models for Video Generation Using Few Shot Learning
  Poster | Paper
• [Stanford CS330] Combining Unsupervised Data Collection with Expert Demonstrations for Offline Multi-Task Robot Learning
  Poster | Paper
• [UC Berkeley LSC30Z] Droneup: A nature-inspired futuristic drone
  Poster

Animations

• 
  Laundry (Dec 2022 - Present)
  [WIP] 6min. independent short film inspired by Girls' Last Tour (Tsukumizu)
  Project Page
  
• 
  "Mr. Blue Sky" Salamander Dance (Apr 2020 - Jun 2020)
  90sec. dancing animation featuring Bruni from Frozen 2 (Disney)
  Project Page | YouTube
  
• 
  Willy Doesn't Have a UFO License (Mar 2024)
  20sec. demonstration of what happens when you give Willy (OC) the keys to your UFO
  Project Page | YouTube
  
• 
  Brewery Logo [Commission] (Mar 2022 - Apr 2023)
  Proprietary animated logo commissioned for a startup brewery
  Project Page
  
• 
  Pixar Intro (Apr 2020)
  My recreation of Pixar's classic intro sequence featuring Luxo Jr.
  Project Page
  
• See more 3D works  →

Other Projects

More here to come in the next few days.
Last updated: 1/4/25