Matias Valdenegro-Toro

Matias Valdenegro-Toro serves as Assistant Professor for Machine Learning at the Bernoulli Institute within the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Groningen. His research focuses on enabling robots to achieve human-like perception, with expertise spanning Deep Neural Networks, Reinforcement Learning, and underwater robotic vision systems. Previously, he held positions as a Researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Bremen and as a Marie Curie Fellow at Heriot-Watt University's Ocean Systems Lab.

His academic credentials include a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Heriot-Watt University (2019), a Master of Science in Autonomous Systems from Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (2014), and an Engineering Degree from Universidad Tecnologica Metropolitana (2009), preceded by four years of professional industry experience.

Valdenegro-Toro's research integrates Machine Learning and Robotics to solve real-world perception challenges, particularly in underwater environments where his PhD work developed neural network systems for detecting submerged marine debris. His commitment to environmental protection drives his focus on ocean conservation through robotic technology, while his technical contributions emphasize Uncertainty Quantification in neural networks and robust Robot Vision solutions.

His scientific recognition is highlighted by the prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship, awarded through the European Commission-funded Robocademy Initial Training Network (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN).

As an educator, he supervises Master's students in Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg's Autonomous Systems program and has taught at the University of Bremen. He actively contributes to the academic community through invited tutorials on computer vision paper writing at ICCV/CVPR and mentoring workshops for LatinX researchers at AAAI/AISTATS, reflecting his dedication to inclusive AI education.

His collaborative research spans institutions including DFKI's Robotics Innovation Center and Heriot-Watt University's Ocean Systems Lab, focusing on practical deployment of perception systems for autonomous underwater vehicles in marine conservation applications.