Stephen David Beck is Professor of Composition and Computer Music at the LSU School of Music, where he holds the Derryl and Helen Haymon Professorship. Additionally, he serves as the Associate Vice President of Research and Economic Development at LSU. In 1988, he earned his PhD in music composition and theory from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied under Henri Lazarof, Elaine Barkin, Alden Ashforth, Paul Reale and Roger Bourland. During 1985-86, he was a Fulbright Fellow at the prestigious Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) in Paris, France. At LSU, he co-founded the LSU Center for Computation & Technology, where he created the Cultural Computing research group. Later, he established the Experimental Music & Digital Media PhD program at the School of Music. His current research interests include sound diffusion systems, high-performance computing applications for music, music interaction through alternative interfaces, and music software for laptops and mobile devices.