Peter N. Belhumeur

Peter N. Belhumeur is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University and Director of the Laboratory for the Study of Visual Appearance (VAP LAB). He holds a Sc.B. from Brown University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge. His career includes roles at Yale University before joining Columbia in 2002.

• Education: Brown University (Sc.B., 1985), Harvard University (Ph.D., 1993)
• Postdoc: Isaac Newton Institute, University of Cambridge (1994)

His research focuses on computer vision and machine learning, with applications in biodiversity and mobile technology. Notable projects include the Leafsnap, Birdsnap, and Dogsnap apps – pioneering species/breed identification tools using machine learning. He has received awards such as the PECASE, Helmholtz Prize, and EO Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award.

His work bridges academia and industry, demonstrated by collaborations with Dropbox and contributions to consumer-facing AI applications. The VAP LAB explores visual appearance modeling and computational photography.