Collegium Helveticum
Switzerland
fellow
Mirela Ben-Chen
2026-2027
Home institution
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, IL
Country of origin (home institution)
Israel
Discipline(s)
Computers and intelligent systems
Theme(s)
Other
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Mirela Ben-Chen is a professor in the Computer Science Department at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where she is a member of the Center for Graphics and Geometric Computing. After receiving her PhD from the Technion and completing a Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, she joined the Technion faculty in 2012. She has won an ERC Starting Grant and multiple best paper awards.
Mirela is interested in modeling and understanding the geometry of shapes. She uses mathematical tools such as discrete differential geometry, numerical optimization, and harmonic analysis for applications including animation, fluid simulation on surfaces, and computational fabrication. One example of a problem in this domain is shape correspondence: given two human shapes, how can one design an algorithm that finds corresponding points on them, represents the "human shape" computationally, or identifies semantically "meaningful" feature points? Such correspondences are useful, for example, in animation, where they can help transfer motion from one shape to another. Another example is shape "realization"—that is, translating a digital design into a physical structure. In computational fabrication and architecture, this can mean taking a digital shape, such as the façade of a building, and decomposing it into smaller parts so that it can be fabricated and assembled.
Research Project
Computational Crochet for Garments
In this project, Mirela Ben-Chen and her team plan to develop computational tools that assist in designing crochet garments from digital inputs such as 3D models or photographs.
Crochet garments are created by following a “pattern,” a set of step-by-step instructions specifying which stitches to make and how to join separate parts. Their goal is to generate an initial pattern that users can then refine and personalize. This approach could make garment design more accessible to novice crocheters, as well as accelerate the creative and iterative process for experienced designers. The team plans to support a wide range of stitches, as well as resizing, editing, and combining patterns. This could enable personalized designs, such as gloves generated from a photograph of a person's hand.
Crochet is an inherently mathematical endeavor, as it can be used to create complex curved surfaces, making crochet pattern design an interesting geometric problem. Building on their existing “crochet graph” representation — a mathematical representation that encodes stitches and their connections as a graph with triangular and quadrangular faces — the team will also investigate new methods for analyzing and optimizing patterns. More broadly, because the structure of a crochet pattern captures the intrinsic geometry of a 3D shape, the team will explore whether the crochet graph can serve as a general representation for comparing and processing shapes beyond crochet. This research aims to make custom crochet garment design easier while advancing the mathematical and geometric foundations of computational crochet and supporting sustainable, handmade fashion that can reduce textile waste.
Research Interests:
Crochet garments; mathematical patterns