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Mark Schmidt is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Science. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Large-Scale Machine Learning and is a Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. His research spans multiple centers including CAIDA (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Decision-making and Action), the Data Science Institute, and the Machine Intelligence Learning Discovery (MILD) group. Dr. Schmidt's educational background includes a Ph.D. from UBC (2005-2010), an M.Sc. from the University of Alberta (2003-2005), and a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta (2000-2003). His academic career progressed from Postdoc positions at Simon Fraser University, Ecole Normale Superieure, and UBC to Assistant Professor (2014-2019), Associate Professor (2019-2024), and current Professor (2024-present) at UBC. His research focuses on machine learning optimization, with particular emphasis on improving numerical algorithms for large-scale machine learning applications. His work bridges theoretical optimization and practical applications across computer vision, natural language processing, and reinforcement learning. He has developed numerous optimization techniques including variants of stochastic gradient methods, coordinate descent algorithms, and natural gradient approaches. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on optimization for over-parameterized models, particularly transformers and large language models. His work addresses critical challenges in step-size selection, convergence guarantees, and efficient implementation of optimization algorithms. His research has significant implications for training deep neural networks more effectively and understanding why certain optimization methods outperform others in practice. Among his notable awards are the Dorothy Killam Fellowship (2025), Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship (2024), Sloan Research Fellowship (2017), and multiple UBC teaching awards. He has also received the Lagrange Prize in Continuous Optimization and Best Paper Award at AISTATS 2021. Dr. Schmidt actively supervises numerous graduate students, with over 40 PhD and Master's students listed as current or alumni members of his research group. His laboratory maintains strong connections with industry partners, with many alumni securing positions at leading AI companies including Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft.

• Machine Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mathematical Optimization
• +6 more

Dr. Hassan Qudrat-Ullah is a Professor at the School of Administrative Studies, York University, and Coordinator of the Certificate in Logistics Management. He holds a PhD in Decision Sciences from NUS Business School and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University. His research focuses on dynamic decision making, system dynamics modeling, energy planning, and interactive learning environments. He teaches courses on quantitative methods, logistics, and decision analysis, informed by global industry experience across 20+ countries. Research interests include sustainability, climate change, systems thinking, and educational applications of decision sciences. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Complexity in Applied Science and Technology and is a member of IEEE, DSI, and the International System Dynamics Society. His work has been published in Energy , Decision Support Systems , and others. Key projects include studies on 'structured-debriefing in dynamic decision making' and renewable energy policies in Africa. His recent articles (2023–2025) address AI integration in energy governance, system dynamics for supply chain resilience, and education for sustainability. Hassan advocates for systems thinking in K-12 education and enjoys traveling (visited 129 countries) and bird-watching.

• Sustainability
• Global/Climate Change
• System Dynamics
• +3 more

Maja J Matarić is the Chan Soon-Shiong Chaired and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering, with courtesy appointments in Neuroscience and Pediatrics. She serves as founding director of the USC Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center, co-director of the USC Robotics Research Lab, and Principal Scientist at Google DeepMind. Previously, she held leadership roles as USC's interim Vice President of Research (2020-2021) and Vice Dean for Research (2006-2019). Her educational background includes: PhD in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from MIT (1994) MS in Computer Science from MIT (1990) BS in Computer Science from University of Kansas (1987) Matarić pioneers Socially Assistive Robotics (SAR) , a field her lab named, focusing on human-robot interaction that provides assistance through social rather than physical support. Her research targets critical health and wellness challenges including post-stroke rehabilitation, autism spectrum disorder therapy, cognitive exercises for Alzheimer's patients, ADHD academic support, and mental health interventions. She develops systems modeling user engagement, personality, and motivation, with extensive real-world deployments in schools, rehabilitation centers, and homes. Analysis of her recent publications reveals dominant themes in cognitive health robotics (2025 CHI paper on LLM-powered elder care), pediatric assistive technology (2025 IDC speech therapy review), and adaptive preference modeling (2025 HRI contrastive learning work). Her research consistently bridges machine learning with human-centered design for vulnerable populations. Major scientific recognition includes: ACM Athena Lecturer Award (2024) ACM Eugene L. Lawler Humanitarian Award (2024) ACM Fellow (2020) Presidential Mentoring Award (2011) Multiple society fellowships (AAAS, IEEE, AAAI) As a dedicated mentor, Matarić has championed underrepresented groups through CRA-W, placing numerous women in faculty positions. She leads USC Viterbi's K-12 STEM Outreach Program serving low-income Los Angeles schools and authored The Robotics Prime for student education. Her research has secured significant funding enabling real-world technology transfer, with documented impact in rehabilitation centers and homes through deployable SAR systems. Her Robotics Research Lab at USC drives innovation in embodied AI, with current projects spanning LLM-integrated elder care robots, ADHD academic companions, and autism therapy systems. The lab emphasizes co-design with end-users and rigorous real-world validation across diverse populations.

• Socially Assistive Robotics
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Assistive Technology
• +7 more

Professor Ihab Ilyas is a leading figure in data management and machine learning at the Cheriton School of Computer Science , University of Waterloo , where he holds the Thomson Reuters Research Chair in Data Quality . He is currently on leave from the university, serving as a Distinguished Engineer, Proactive Intelligence at Apple Inc . His research focuses on data cleaning , large-scale data integration , knowledge graphs , and machine learning applications in data quality . He has pioneered systems like HoloClean and Saga , with commercial impacts through co-founded startups Inductiv (acquired by Apple) and Tamr . PhD in Computer Science from Purdue University Co-founder of Inductiv (acquired by Apple) Co-founder of Tamr Research Interests include: Probabilistic and uncertain data management Machine learning for data quality and enrichment Big data systems and information extraction Knowledge graph construction and optimization Scientific Awards and Recognitions include: Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2024) C.C. Gotlieb Computer Award (2024) IEEE Fellow (2021) ACM Fellow (2020) Cheriton Faculty Fellowship (2013-2016) Ontario Early Researcher Award

• Data Management
• Data Cleaning
• Machine Learning for Data Quality
• +6 more

Pascal Poupart is a Professor and Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute, affiliated with the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. He leads research in reinforcement learning, probabilistic models, and federated learning systems. Research spans: Bayesian optimization efficiency improvements Inverse constraint learning from demonstrations Uncertainty quantification in neural networks Federated learning architectures Recent publications show 70% focus on reinforcement learning applications, with new methods developed for confident inverse constraint learning and preference-based generation. Manages the AI research group developing algorithms for material design and conversational agents.

• Reinforcement Learning
• Probabilistic Models
• Natural Language Processing
• +3 more

Prof. Ramakrishna Gokaraju is a Professor and Graduate Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. His academic journey includes roles as Assistant Professor (2003), Associate Professor (2009), and full Professor (2015). He holds a B.E. from NIT Trichy (1992), M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Calgary (1996, 2000). His research focuses on power system protection, smart grids, and sustainable energy systems, including small modular reactors (SMRs) and renewable integration. He has advised 8 PhD and 25+ Master’s students, with over 80 publications in top journals/conferences. Dr. Gokaraju’s honors include the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship (1998–2000) and the Professor of the Year Award (2008). He has held visiting roles at the University of Manitoba (2009–2010), IIT Kanpur (2018), and institutions in Australia and India. His work emphasizes high-speed digital relaying, PMU-based solutions, and transient stability protection. Current research includes wind generator modeling, SMR integration, and energy storage systems for remote communities. His technical contributions span fault location algorithms, grid resilience enhancement, and GPU-based optimization for transport systems. Ongoing projects explore hybrid energy systems combining SMRs with renewables. Lab affiliations include the Power Systems Research Group at the University of Saskatchewan, focusing on smart grid innovation and sustainable energy solutions.

• Power System Protection
• Smart Grid Applications
• Sustainable Energy Systems
• +4 more

Adrien Desjardins is a Professor at the University of British Columbia, jointly appointed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering within the Faculty of Applied Science. He joined UBC in 2024 after serving as a Full Professor at University College London from 2019-2024, following 13 years on faculty there. His educational background includes a B.Sc. from UBC (2001) and a Ph.D. from MIT and Harvard University (2007). Dr. Desjardins' research program focuses on interdisciplinary development of imaging and sensing modalities and autonomous robotics with marine and biomedical applications. His work integrates photonics, ultrasound, machine learning, and robotics to create innovative diagnostic tools and sensing systems, particularly in optical coherence tomography, diffuse optical spectroscopy, and photoacoustic imaging. His publication record reveals an evolution from foundational neuroimaging work (2001) toward increasingly sophisticated optical systems culminating in breakthroughs like ultrasensitive optical microresonators for ultrasound sensing (2017), demonstrating consistent innovation in biomedical optics with growing emphasis on machine learning integration and real-world applications. His scientific contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards: Research Chair from the Royal Academy of Engineering Healthcare Technologies Challenge Award from EPSRC Starting grants from ERC, EPSRC, and Royal Society World Economic Forum Young Scientist (2015) UCL Provost Teaching Prize (2013) Dr. Desjardins actively mentors graduate students and secures major research funding through competitive grants, with current openings for January/September 2025 intakes. His program involves close industry collaboration indicating strong translational focus, though specific lab names aren't mentioned. The interdisciplinary nature of his work suggests teams spanning engineering, computer science, and medical disciplines working on next-generation imaging systems for healthcare and marine exploration.

• Imaging and sensing
• Robotics
• Machine learning
• +6 more

Ian Goldberg is a Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science , University of Waterloo, Canada. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Privacy Enhancing Technologies and leads the Cryptography, Security, and Privacy (CrySP) group . He is affiliated with the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute and the Institute for Quantum Computing . Research Focus: Security, privacy, and privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) for the Internet, including Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging , censorship resistance , private information retrieval , and zero-knowledge proofs . Recent Publications: His work addresses metadata protection , deniable authentication , and secure multi-party computation , with applications to anonymous communication and censorship resistance. Scientific Awards: Canada Research Chair in Privacy Enhancing Technologies Students: He advises current and former PhD/Master’s students in projects like Lox , PRSONA , Walkie-Talkie , and SkypeMorph . Notable advisees include Sajin Sasy (Privacy-Preserving Communications), Justin Tracey (PETs Development), and Tao Wang (Website Fingerprinting Defenses). Labs & Teams: Goldberg is a core member of the CrySP group and contributes to the Tor Project and Off-the-Record Messaging open-source initiatives. His research bridges theoretical and applied cryptography, with deployments in real-world systems like Tor and PIR protocols.

• Security
• Privacy
• Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs)
• +5 more

Dr. Anwar Haque is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Western University, Canada, and a Faculty of Science Distinguished Research Professor. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. Prior to academia, he was Associate Director at Bell Canada. His research focuses on 5G networks, IoT, cybersecurity, AI, and autonomous systems, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and $15M in collaborative grants. Dr. Haque leads the Western Information & Networking Group (WING) Lab and is the founder/CEO of Bamboo Innovations Inc., a tech startup developing socially responsible smart technologies. Leadership roles include industry expert-in-residence in the Faculty of Science, Undergraduate Chair of the Computer Science Department, and member of Western’s Senate. He has delivered over 30 keynote talks and media features include BBC Earth and The Globe and Mail. Awards include the IEEE CCECE Leadership Award and multiple grants from NSERC, MITACS, and Bell Canada. His work spans network reliability, smart grids, and cybersecurity, with industry partnerships like the Bell-Western 5G Research Centre.

• Network Security
• 5G and Beyond Networks
• IoT
• +9 more

Sujaya Maiyya is an Assistant Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo. Prior to this, she completed a postdoc at Cornell University and earned her PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on distributed systems, databases, and privacy/security, particularly in designing secure and efficient data management systems. She leads projects on oblivious databases, trusted execution environments (TEEs), and scalable privacy-preserving systems. Education: PhD in Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara (2018) MSc in Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara (2017) BE in Information Science, PESIT Bangalore (2014) Research Interests: Distributed systems, database privacy, oblivious datastores, genomics data security, and secure computation using TEEs. Her work emphasizes practical solutions for privacy-preserving storage and query processing, including tunable-privacy mechanisms and fault-tolerant ORAM systems. Awards and Grants: CFI/ORF Infrastructure Grant (2024-2029) NCC Research Awards (2024-2028) NSERC Discovery Grant (2023-2027) MIT EECS Rising Stars (2021) Teaching: Courses include CS348 (Introduction to Databases) and CS848 (Privacy Enhancing Data Systems). She emphasizes foundational concepts and system internals in database design and secure systems. Professional Service: Chair of Ontario Database Day (2024), PC member for SIGMOD, EDBT, VLDB, and ICDE. Frequent reviewer for journals like TKDE and DKE.

• Distributed Systems
• Database Systems
• Data Privacy
• +3 more

Aleksandar Jeremic is an Associate Professor in both the Electrical & Computer Engineering department and the McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University. His research focuses on biomedical signal processing, statistical signal processing, and biometrics, with applications in healthcare and biomedical systems. He holds a Dipl. Ing. from the University of Belgrade, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His expertise spans physiological signal analysis (e.g., ECG/EEG), medical imaging, and machine learning for biomedical applications. He has authored over 50 technical articles and two book chapters, and has been recognized with a teaching award from the McMaster Electrical and Computer Engineering Society (2018). He supervises graduate students in both theoretical and applied research areas. Dr. Jeremic teaches advanced courses such as Biomedical Signal Modeling and Processing and Advanced Probability and Random Processes , emphasizing practical applications of signal processing in healthcare. His work includes clinical implementations like neonatal seizure monitoring software and microwave imaging for breast cancer detection.

• Biomedical Signal Processing
• Statistical Signal Processing
• Biometrics
• +7 more

David Duvenaud is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto , holding a Canada Research Chair in Generative Models and a Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society . He is cross-appointed to the Department of Computer Science and Department of Statistical Sciences . A Sloan Research Fellow and founding member of the Vector Institute , his work bridges deep probabilistic models , AI safety , and scientific computing . PhD in Machine Learning (University of Cambridge, 2014) Postdoc in Hyperparameter Optimization (Harvard University, 2016) Co-founded Invenia (energy forecasting company) His research spans foundational Neural Ordinary Differential Equations (NeurIPS 2018 Best Paper) and Automatic Chemical Design (ACS Central Science 2018) to recent work on AGI governance (2025) and AI safety (2024). Key contributions include stochastic variational inference , implicit differentiation frameworks , and antisymmetrization layers for quantum Monte Carlo. Recent publications (2024-2025) focus on systemic existential risks from AI , many-shot jailbreaking attacks , and epistemic uncertainty quantification . His group trains energy-based models with scalable MCMC samplers and develops invertible neural architectures (e.g., Residual Flows NeurIPS 2019). He also explores human-AI alignment through LLM Processes (NeurIPS 2024) and Sycophancy in Language Models (ICLR 2024). Canada Research Chair (2025) NSERC Grant (2025) Sloan Research Fellow (2021) Schwartz Reisman Chair (2021) Best Paper Award (NeurIPS 2018) Distinguished Paper Award (ICFP 2021) His students include James Requeima , Jesse Bettencourt , and Raymond Douglas . He teaches courses on Statistical Methods for Machine Learning and Differentiable Inference . Current work (2025) investigates systemic human disempowerment through incremental AI capabilities and sabotage risk mitigation via hyperparameter-aware evaluations.

• Machine Learning
• Generative Models
• Bayesian Inference
• +5 more

Amr Youssef is a Professor at the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, Concordia University. His research focuses on applied cryptography, network security, cyber-physical systems security, blockchain, and privacy. He has contributed extensively to securing smart grids, IoT devices, and web applications through cryptographic protocols and machine learning-driven solutions. His work addresses critical challenges in cybersecurity, including e-voting systems, fault-tolerant differential protection, and privacy-preserving communication protocols. He explores vulnerabilities in modern systems such as SSO permissions, JavaScript exploits, and stalkerware tools, while developing frameworks like MEGR-APT for APT detection and TEE-Receipt for non-repudiation. Youssef’s research integrates interdisciplinary approaches, combining cryptography with AI (e.g., vision transformers for power quality analysis) and leveraging trusted execution environments (TEE) for secure computing. His projects often involve collaboration with industrial standards (e.g., IEC 61850), emphasizing practical implementations in real-world systems.

• Applied Cryptography
• Network Security
• Cyber-Physical Systems Security
• +4 more

Ming-Syan Chen is a distinguished academic holding dual roles as a Distinguished Research Fellow and Director of the Research Center for Information Technology Innovation (CITI) at Academia Sinica, Taiwan, and a Distinguished Professor jointly appointed across multiple departments at National Taiwan University (NTU), including Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Science and Information Engineering (CSIE), and the Graduate Institute of Communication Engineering (GICE). His career spans academia and industry, with prior roles as a research staff member at IBM Watson Research Center and leadership positions in Taiwan's technology sector. Education: He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from National Taiwan University, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer, Information, and Control Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Research Interests: Chen's work focuses on databases, data mining, machine learning, multimedia networking, and cloud computing. He has authored over 350 papers and holds numerous patents, contributing to foundational advancements in query processing, data management, and networked systems. Award Highlights: Recipient of ACM and IEEE Fellowships, National Chair Professorship (lifetime honor), Teco Award, Pan Wen Yuan Distinguished Research Award, and IBM's Outstanding Innovation Award. His contributions span research, teaching, and technology commercialization. Leadership & Service: Former Dean of NTU's College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, CEO of Taiwan's Networked Communication Program, and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Electrical Engineering. He has chaired international conferences and served on editorial boards of journals like IEEE TKDE and VLDB. Labs & Teams: Leads the Network Database Laboratory and collaborates on national initiatives in information and communication technologies. His research groups focus on data science, distributed systems, and social network analysis.

• Databases
• Data Mining
• Machine Learning
• +3 more

Anwar Hithnawi is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto, where he leads the Privacy Preserving Systems Lab (PPS Lab). His research focuses on data privacy, applied cryptography, and secure systems, with emphasis on privacy-preserving machine learning, federated learning, and encrypted data processing. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from ETH Zurich and was a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. Previously, he served as an Ambizione Fellow and research group leader at ETH Zurich. Research Interests: Data Privacy & Security Applied Cryptography (Homomorphic Encryption, Zero-Knowledge Proofs) Privacy-Preserving Systems (Federated Learning, Secure Analytics) IoT Security & Privacy Secure Collaborative Learning Awards: Google Research Award SNF Ambizione Grant ETH Medal for Outstanding Master Thesis (student Lukas Burkhalter) Microsoft Research Ph.D. Award (student Lukas Burkhalter) Lab Activities: The PPS Lab develops systems for privacy-preserving computation, secure collaborative learning, and encrypted data stream processing. Notable projects include Zeph, HECO, and Cohere. Recent achievements include acceptance of DPolicy at IEEE S&P 2025 and RoFL at Oakland 2023.

• Data Privacy
• Applied Cryptography
• Privacy-Preserving Systems
• +5 more