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Levent Burak KaraView profile

Professor

• Machine Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computational Design
• +12 more

Levent Burak Kara is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), with a courtesy appointment in the Robotics Institute. He is a leading researcher in AI-driven computational design, additive manufacturing, and intelligent engineering systems, leading the Visual Design and Engineering Lab (VDEL) at CMU. Education: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Middle East Technical University (1998) M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (2000) Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (2005) His research focuses on integrating machine learning, optimization, and geometric modeling to revolutionize engineering design and manufacturing. Key areas include topology optimization, CAD intelligence, digital twins, generative design, bioengineering, and electronic design automation. His work enables automation of traditionally labor-intensive design processes using deep learning and reinforcement learning. His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward physics-informed surrogate modeling, real-time simulation, manufacturability prediction, and AI-driven automation in mechanical, biomedical, and electronic systems. These works frequently appear in top journals such as Journal of Mechanical Design and Journal of Applied Mechanics , and at premier conferences like NeurIPS and DAC. Scientific Awards: National Science Foundation CAREER Award ASME Design Automation Society Young Investigator Award Google AI for Social Good Impact Scholar Kara advises several Ph.D. students and has secured significant funding from federal agencies such as the NSF and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, as well as collaborations with industrial leaders including Cadence Design Systems and NVIDIA. His research is also supported by CMU’s NextManufacturing Center and the Critical Technology Initiative. He is actively involved in developing intelligent design systems that leverage AI to automate product design, optimize manufacturing processes, and improve medical diagnostics, particularly in oral cancer screening and organ preservation. His lab, VDEL, is a hub for innovation in AI-enabled engineering.

James H. Garrett Jr.View profile

Professor

• Civil Engineering
• Data Mining
• Machine Learning
• +6 more

James H. Garrett Jr. is the Provost and Thomas Lord Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He previously served as Dean of the College of Engineering (2013-2018) and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (2006-2012). Garrett joined CMU in 1990 and has held leadership roles including Associate Dean for Academic and Graduate Affairs (2000-2006). Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (1986) M.S., Civil Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (1983) B.S., Civil Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (1982) Garrett’s research focuses on sensor systems, data mining, and machine learning for civil infrastructure condition assessment. His work spans smart cities, transportation engineering, and structural health monitoring, with applications in HVAC systems, water infrastructure, and bridge diagnostics. He has pioneered methods for integrating BIM with maintenance data and developing intelligent decision support systems. Garrett’s publications emphasize sensor networks, data-driven infrastructure management, and machine learning for anomaly detection in transportation and building systems. His work bridges civil engineering with computational methods, including variational autoencoders for rail monitoring and adaptive graph filtering for bridge diagnostics. Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize (2012) Steven J. Fenves Award for Systems Research (2007) ASCE Computing in Civil Engineering Award (2006) As founding co-director of the Pennsylvania Smarter Infrastructure Incubator and a leader in the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, Garrett has advanced smart infrastructure through sensor networks and data analytics. He also served as co-chief editor of the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering (2008-2013).

Jelena KovačevićView profile

Professor

• Biomedical imaging
• Data science & signal processing
• Multiresolution processing
• +3 more

Jelena Kovačević is the William R. Berkley Professor and Dean of the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University, the first woman to hold this position since the school's founding in 1854. Previously, she served as Hamerschlag University Professor and Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) until 2018. She holds a Dipl. Electr. Eng. from the University of Belgrade (1986), and MS and PhD degrees from Columbia University (1988, 1991). Her research focuses on biomedical imaging, multiresolution techniques (wavelets, frames), data science, and graph signal processing. She has authored influential books, including *Wavelets and Subband Coding* (1995) and *Foundations of Signal Processing* (2014), and co-authored over 150 publications. Awards include the IEEE SPS Technical Achievement Award (2016), Belgrade October Prize (1986), and Fellowships from IEEE and EUSIPCO. She has held editorial roles at major journals and conferences, including Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Trans. on Image Processing (2002–2006). Her leadership extends to roles like General Chair of ISBI and advisory positions in national initiatives. Her teaching spans advanced signal processing courses at CMU and Columbia, emphasizing practical applications in biomedical imaging and engineering. She has been recognized for educational excellence, including the edX Prize (2018) and contributions to online courses on criminal justice and psychology.