Geoffrey E. Hinton is a distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He is renowned for his foundational contributions to machine learning, particularly in the development of deep learning and neural networks. His research focuses on understanding learning processes in both artificial and biological systems, with key contributions including Boltzmann machines, backpropagation, and deep belief networks. He teaches advanced machine learning courses such as CSC2535, emphasizing topics like graphical models, variational inference, and deep learning architectures. His work has been published extensively in top journals and conferences, with recent papers exploring forward-forward algorithms, analog diffusion models, and scalable neural network training methods. Hinton has advised numerous PhD and master's students and collaborates with institutions like Vector Institute. He is a central figure in the global AI community, regularly presenting at conferences (e.g., 2023 talks on CBS 60 Minutes, BBC, and PBS). His lab focuses on advancing machine learning theory and applications, addressing challenges in vision, language, and generative models.
Trevor Campbell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver. He holds a Ph.D. in Machine Learning and Statistics from MIT and a B.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on automated, scalable Bayesian inference algorithms, Bayesian nonparametrics, and streaming data analysis. Campbell is a core contributor to probabilistic programming tools like Pigeons.jl and has developed influential methods for coreset-based Bayesian inference. Education : Ph.D. in Machine Learning and Statistics (2016), MIT M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics (2013), MIT B.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering (2011), University of Toronto Research Interests : His work emphasizes scalable Bayesian computation, including variational inference, MCMC optimization, and coresets. He develops algorithms that balance statistical accuracy with computational efficiency, particularly for large-scale datasets. His recent work explores adaptive samplers (e.g., AutoStep, autoMALA) and theoretical guarantees for coreset methods. Applications span astrophysics, materials science, and network analysis. Awards & Grants : NSERC Discovery Grant (2025) Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award (2021) PIMS Early Career Award (2023) Google Perception Academic Funding (2020) Advising & Labs : He supervises a team of PhD and M.Sc. students at UBC, focusing on Bayesian methodology and computational tools. His lab collaborates with institutions like SFU and MIT on projects involving distributed sampling and probabilistic modeling. He co-organizes workshops on Bayesian computation and serves on editorial boards for Bayesian Analysis and TMLR.
Geoffrey Pleiss is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Science. He is also a CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute and an inaugural member of CAIDA's AIM-SI (AI Methods for Scientific Impact) cluster. His work bridges statistical theory, machine learning, and computational methods with applications across various scientific domains. Pleiss received his PhD from the Computer Science department at Cornell University in 2020, where he was advised by Kilian Weinberger and worked closely with Andrew Gordon Wilson. Prior to his faculty position at UBC, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University with John P. Cunningham. His research focuses on the intersection of deep learning and probabilistic modeling, particularly on developing heuristic and approximate notions of uncertainty from machine learning models. His work has significant implications for reliable and optimal decision-making in experimental design and scientific discovery. Major research thrusts include neural network uncertainty quantification, Bayesian optimization, Gaussian processes, and ensemble methods. Pleiss develops theoretical frameworks while maintaining strong connections to practical applications across scientific domains. An analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on uncertainty quantification in deep learning models, with particular attention to the limitations and capabilities of ensemble methods in the era of overparameterized models. His work increasingly addresses practical challenges in Bayesian optimization for scientific discovery, especially in materials science. There's also a growing emphasis on computational efficiency in Gaussian process methods, reflecting his commitment to making advanced statistical techniques accessible for real-world applications. CIFAR AI Chair Pleiss currently advises several graduate students including Donney Fan (PhD, Computer Science), Tim G. Zhou (MSc, Computer Science), Zachary Lau (MSc, Statistics), Nathan Cantafio (BSc, Statistics), and Tristan Cinquin (Research Intern at Vector Institute). His research is supported by multiple funding sources including his CIFAR AI Chair position, which provides significant research resources for advancing machine learning methodologies with scientific impact. Pleiss co-created and maintains GPyTorch, a highly efficient and modular implementation of Gaussian processes in PyTorch designed for speed, modularity, and prototyping. He is also involved with CoLA (Compositional Linear Algebra), a library for structured linear algebra operations in JAX and PyTorch that enables fast linear algebra computations by automatically exploiting matrix structure.
Mikhail (Misha) Belkin is a Professor at the Halicioglu Data Science Institute (HDSI) at the University of California San Diego , with an affiliated appointment in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering . He is also an Amazon Scholar , reflecting his impactful industry collaboration. Since January 2024, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the SIAM Journal on Mathematics of Data Science (SIMODS) . Research Interests: Belkin's research centers on the theoretical foundations of machine learning, particularly the mathematical understanding of modern deep learning. His work investigates interpolation , over-parameterization , and feature learning in neural networks. He is renowned for introducing the double descent risk curve, which reconciles classical bias-variance trade-offs with the success of overfitted models. His recent work identifies the Average Gradient Outer Product (AGOP) as a fundamental mechanism of feature learning, applicable across architectures like CNNs and transformers. Scientific Contributions and Trends: His recent publications, appearing in Science , PNAS , and NeurIPS , demonstrate a strong trend toward unifying theories of generalization and optimization in over-parameterized systems. He explores how interpolating models can be statistically optimal, how gradient descent converges in non-convex landscapes via the PL* condition, and how kernel methods can be enhanced to perform feature learning. ACM Fellow (2023) Editor-in-Chief, SIAM Journal on Mathematics of Data Science (2024–present) Advising and Grants: Belkin actively mentors students and collaborators such as Adityanarayanan Radhakrishnan , Daniel Beaglehole , and Chaoyue Liu , who are frequent co-authors. He is a Principal Investigator (PI) in the Collaboration on the Theoretical Foundations of Deep Learning , funded by the NSF and Simons Foundation. He is also an external collaborator with the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center at the Broad Institute and part of the NSF-funded TILOS AI Institute . Laboratories and Teams: While not explicitly named, his research group at UCSD is deeply involved in theoretical machine learning, focusing on the intersection of statistics, optimization, and deep learning. His work often involves large-scale collaborations and is closely tied to initiatives like SIMODS and TILOS.
Dr. Euijin (Alley) Choo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Alberta, specializing in data-driven cybersecurity and big data analytics. Her research focuses on AI-based cybersecurity solutions, anomaly detection in network traffic, and adversarial attacks on federated learning systems. She holds a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University and has held roles at Qatar Computing Research Institute, Korea University, and the University of Missouri-Rolla. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, North Carolina State University (2015) M.S., Computer Science & Engineering, Korea University (2008) B.S. Dual Degree in Computer Science & Mathematics, Korea University (2006) Research Interests: Security and big data analysis intersections Federated learning security and privacy Anomaly detection in network logs and enterprise systems Malware/phishing detection using graph inference AI-driven threat intelligence aggregation Recent Grants: Mitacs Accelerate Program Grant: Fraud Detection in Financial Graphs ($60,000, 2025) National CyberSecurity Consortium Grant: IntruderInsight ($2M, 2025-2027) NSERC Discovery Grant: Threat Detection Framework ($180,000, 2025-2031) Awards: Best Paper Award at DBSEC 2015 NSERC Early Career Researcher Award (2025) Provost Fellowship (NC State, 2009-2010) Labs/Teams: Leads the Data-driven Network and Cyber Security (DANS) Lab, focusing on federated learning defenses, compromised entity detection, and malicious domain analysis.
James Bremer is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and holds a cross-appointment in the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Toronto's Scarborough campus. His research focuses on developing efficient numerical algorithms for solving elliptic boundary value problems, integral equations, and special function transforms.
John Zelek is an Associate Professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He co-directs the VIP (Vision & Image Processing) lab and previously served as Associate Graduate Chair (2013-2017). He co-founded two startups: Tactile Sight (haptic navigation for disabled individuals) and Sweep3D (3D modeling technology). His research focuses on autonomous robotics, 3D scene understanding, infrastructure assessment, medical imaging, and sports analytics using AI/deep learning techniques. Education includes a BASc from Waterloo (1985), MASc from Ottawa (1989), and PhD from McGill (1996). He teaches courses like SYDE 283 (Physics), SYDE 572 (Pattern Recognition), and SYDE 675 (Pattern Recognition). Research interests span robotics, computer vision, anomaly detection, and SLAM. His work applies to infrastructure monitoring, sports analytics (hockey/pitcher analysis), medical imaging (OCT/fundus), and assistive technologies. Recent publications emphasize 3D modeling, SLAM enhancements, and sports tracking algorithms. Zelek advises graduate students (SSPS status) and collaborates with companies like Intelligent Health Solutions and EyeCheck through advisory roles. Key innovations include hybrid SLAM systems, puck localization algorithms, and medical robotic swab systems demonstrated on moving phantoms.
Dr. Ian Stavness is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on interdisciplinary applications of computer science, including deep learning in agriculture, biomedical computation, and 3D display technologies. He leads the Biological Imaging & Graphics (BIGLAB) laboratory, which develops tools for plant phenotyping and musculoskeletal modeling. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2010 M.A.Sc. in Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2006 B.Sc. in Computer Science & B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 2004 Research Interests: Deep Learning for Plant Phenomics & Agriculture 3D Displays and VR/AR Technologies Musculoskeletal Biomechanical Simulation (OpenSim, ArtiSynth) Computer Vision and Image Analysis Awards: ACM CHI 2019 Honourable Mention ACM VRST 2018 Polyphony Digital Award Key Projects: Deep Plant Phenomics Platform Parametric Human Project (Digital Human Modeling) P2IRC (Plant Phenotyping & Imaging Research Center)
Kwang Moo Yi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he conducts research in computer vision and machine learning. He is affiliated with the Computer Vision Lab, CAIDA (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Decision-making and Action), and ICICS (Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems) at UBC. Education: B.Sc. from Seoul National University Ph.D. from Seoul National University under Prof. Jin Young Choi Post-doctoral researcher at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) with Prof. Pascal Fua and Prof. Vincent Lepetit Dr. Yi's research focuses on Visual Geometry with the goal of understanding local environments, adapting to them, and acting within them. His work spans applications in autonomous vehicles, drones, robots, and Augmented/Mixed Reality systems. He employs machine learning, particularly deep learning, as the primary tool for advancing computer vision capabilities. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on neural rendering techniques, especially 3D Gaussian Splatting and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF). The research trends show increasing sophistication in handling occlusions, improving rendering quality, and developing more efficient training methods for neural fields. There's also significant work connecting computer vision with practical applications in industrial settings and energy systems. Dr. Yi serves as an area chair for top computer vision and machine learning conferences including CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, NeurIPS, ICML, and AAAI. He was part of the organizing committee for CVPR 2023. He supervises graduate students including Eric (who recently completed his PhD), Gopal (now at Samsung Research), and Jeong-Gi (joining as a postdoctoral fellow). His teaching includes CPSC 425: Computer Vision and CPSC 533Y: 3D Computer Vision with Deep Learning. Dr. Yi is actively involved with the Computer Vision Lab at UBC, collaborating with researchers across CAIDA and ICICS. His work bridges theoretical computer vision with practical applications in various domains including astronomy, industrial automation, and energy systems.
Stephen A. Vavasis is a Professor in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization at the University of Waterloo, part of the Faculty of Mathematics. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University (1989) and has held academic positions at Cornell University (1989–2006) before joining Waterloo. His research focuses on continuous optimization, data science, first-order methods, scientific computing, and computational mechanics. Current teaching includes courses on convex optimization and portfolio optimization methods. He has served as Associate Dean of Computing (2017–2020) and Interim Director of Data Science graduate programs. His work is supported by NSERC grants. Notable awards include the Hertz Fellowship, Churchill Scholarship, and Guggenheim Fellowship. Vavasis's research emphasizes applications of optimization to clustering, machine learning, and fracture mechanics. His publications span convex optimization frameworks, algorithmic analysis of gradient methods, and numerical methods in mechanics. Recent work explores unifying analyses of first-order optimization algorithms and robust optimization techniques for high-dimensional data problems.
Geoff Pleiss is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), affiliated with CAIDA's AIM-SI cluster. He is also a Canada CIFAR AI Chair and faculty member at the Vector Institute. His research bridges deep learning and probabilistic modeling, focusing on uncertainty quantification, Bayesian optimization, Gaussian processes, and ensemble methods. Pleiss earned his PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University (2020), followed by a postdoc at Columbia University. He holds multiple awards, including the AISTATS Top Reviewer and NeurIPS recognitions. His work emphasizes scalable algorithms and open-source contributions, such as the GPyTorch library. Pleiss advises students in Computer Science and Statistics, including Donney Fan (PhD), Tim G. Zhou (MSc), and others. He teaches advanced courses like STAT 547U (Deep Learning Theory) and STAT 520P (Bayesian Optimization). Grants include NSERC Discovery and New Frontiers in Research funding. Pleiss collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, such as astrophysical discovery via machine learning, and actively participates in academic service and outreach. Education: PhD in Computer Science, Cornell University (2020) MSc in Computer Science, Cornell University (2018) BSc in Engineering (Computing with Applied Mathematics), Olin College (2013) Key Research Themes: Uncertainty-aware decision-making with neural networks Scalable Gaussian processes and Bayesian optimization Ensemble methods and their theoretical limitations Recent Grants: NSERC Discovery Grant (2024) New Frontiers in Research Fund (2025, co-PI) His publications span foundational theory to applied machine learning, with over 14,500 citations. He actively mentors students through research internships and advises on open-source software development. Pleiss frequently presents at top conferences and collaborates with industry partners like Microsoft and ASAPP.
Benjamin Landon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Toronto, where he has been faculty since 2021. His office is located in the Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 6264. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, he was a CLE Moore Instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2018-2021. Education: PhD in Mathematics, Harvard University (2018). Advisor: Horng-Tzer Yau M.Sc. in Mathematics, McGill University (2013). Advisors: Vojkan Jaksic and Robert Seiringer B.Sc., McGill University (2012) Dr. Landon's research focuses on Probability and Mathematical Physics, with particular expertise in Random Matrix Theory. His work spans various aspects of spectral statistics, eigenvalue distributions, and universality phenomena in random matrix ensembles. He has made significant contributions to understanding the behavior of extremal eigenvalues, linear spectral statistics, and connections to other areas of mathematical physics such as spin glasses and the KPZ universality class. His research often involves developing novel analytical techniques to establish precise asymptotic behavior in complex random systems. Analysis of Dr. Landon's publication record reveals a strong focus on the intersection of probability theory and mathematical physics. His work consistently explores universality phenomena across different random matrix ensembles and related stochastic systems. A notable trend is his investigation of connections between random matrix theory and other areas of mathematical physics, particularly spin glass models and the KPZ equation. His research demonstrates both technical depth in establishing rigorous asymptotic results and breadth in connecting seemingly disparate areas of mathematical physics.
Gautam Kamath is an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo's Cheriton School of Computer Science, a Faculty Member at the Vector Institute, and a Canada CIFAR AI Chair. He leads The Salon, a research group focused on statistics, algorithms, machine learning, and optimization. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in data privacy and robustness, contributing to both academic research and real-world deployments that impact millions of users. Dr. Kamath earned his PhD and SM degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, where he was advised by Costis Daskalakis. Prior to MIT, he graduated from Cornell University in May 2012 with a degree in Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering, where he worked with Bobby Kleinberg. His academic journey reflects a strong foundation in both theoretical computer science and practical applications. His research focuses on developing solutions for trustworthy and reliable machine learning and statistics, with particular emphasis on data privacy and robustness. He addresses fundamental problems in these areas, revitalizing statistical toolkits for the modern data era where privacy preservation is paramount. His work spans theoretical foundations of differential privacy to practical applications that have been deployed at scale, including contributions to systems that protect the sensitive information of hundreds of millions of individuals. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward addressing the interplay between privacy, robustness, and machine learning performance. His work increasingly examines practical deployment challenges while maintaining theoretical rigor, with growing emphasis on diffusion models, generative AI, and the legal implications of AI systems. There's a clear trajectory from foundational privacy theory toward addressing real-world implementation challenges across diverse application domains. Canada CIFAR AI Chair Ontario Early Researcher Award 2024 Caspar Bowden Award for Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies STOC Best Student Presentation Award ICML 2024 Best Paper Award Microsoft Research Fellow at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing Dr. Kamath actively mentors students, with notable successes including Valentio Iverson winning the Germain-Erdős Undergraduate Award and Chris Trevisan receiving the CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award. His service to the research community is extensive, serving as Editor-in-Chief of TMLR, on the Executive Committee of the Learning Theory Alliance, and on steering committees for major conferences including ICML, COLT, and ALT. He has organized numerous workshops focused on privacy-preserving machine learning and differential privacy. Through The Salon research group, Dr. Kamath fosters a collaborative environment where postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates work together on cutting-edge problems at the intersection of statistics, algorithms, machine learning, and optimization. The group maintains strong connections with industry partners and participates in major research initiatives, including the Vector Institute's privacy and security research efforts. Looking forward, Dr. Kamath will be moving to the Computer Science department at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in September 2026, where he plans to expand his research program.
WonSook Lee is a tenured Full Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering. Her expertise spans medical imaging, machine/deep learning, computer graphics, and computer vision. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and holds degrees from POSTECH (Korea) and NUS (Singapore). Before academia, she worked at Korea Telecom, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, and Eyematic Interfaces Inc. (USA). Her research focuses on applications such as virtual/augmented reality, MRI/CT/Ultrasound analysis, and 3D mesh modeling. She has authored over 130 publications, including 30+ journal papers, and serves on conference committees and editorial boards. Lee has secured major grants (NSERC, CFI, ORF) as Principal Investigator and contributed to global initiatives like South Korea’s National Research Foundation. Her lab explores cutting-edge techniques in medical imaging, AI-driven object detection, and multimodal systems. Notable projects include adversarial perturbation analysis for model robustness, cross-domain GANs for semantic segmentation, and real-time ultrasound-enhanced pronunciation training. She actively promotes interdisciplinary research in healthcare technology and autonomous systems.
Ying MacNab is an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver Campus. She holds an additional affiliation as an Associate Member in the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH). Her research focuses on Bayesian hierarchical modeling, spatial epidemiology, and disease mapping with applications to public health surveillance and aging populations. She has contributed extensively to methodological advancements in Gaussian Markov random fields and spatiotemporal modeling frameworks. Her work bridges statistical theory and practical health challenges, including pandemic-related stress in older adults, opioid treatment outcomes, and infectious disease forecasting. MacNab has collaborated on projects involving mental health assessments (e.g., sleep dysfunction, anxiety/depression in iOAT patients) and has developed novel statistical tools for analyzing spatially and temporally correlated health data. Her research also addresses methodological gaps in coregionalized multivariate models and constrained Bayesian estimation. MacNab's publications reflect a multidisciplinary approach, integrating epidemiological theory with advanced computational methods. Recent trends in her work emphasize dynamic modeling of infection risks, mediation analysis in aging populations, and validation of psychometric scales for health-related stress. She has maintained an active research agenda since the early 2000s, with notable contributions to neonatal health outcomes, injury surveillance, and healthcare quality improvement.
