معرفی
Shahar Kovalsky is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), with secondary appointments in the School of Data Science and Society and an adjunct role in the Department of Computer Science (both within the College of Arts and Sciences). He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from the Weizmann Institute of Science, and B.Sc./M.Sc. degrees in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering from Ben-Gurion University. His research bridges optimization, geometry, computer graphics, machine learning, and their applications in biology and medicine. Kovalsky's work includes advancements in geometric modeling, medical imaging diagnostics, and evolutionary biology analysis. He has been recognized with awards such as the Günter Enderle Best Paper Award (Eurographics 2016) and the SGP 2015 Best Paper Award.
Education:
- Ph.D., Computer Science & Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
- B.Sc./M.Sc., Mathematics & Electrical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University, Israel
Research Interests: His work focuses on geometric optimization, machine learning for medical diagnostics (e.g., thyroid cytopathology), and computational methods in evolutionary biology. He develops algorithms for injectivity-preserving parameterizations, medical image analysis, and Gaussian process landmarking for morphometric studies.
Key Contributions:
- Deep learning models for thyroid cancer prediction from smartphone images
- Geometric algorithms for surface parameterization and injectivity
- Applications of Gaussian processes in evolutionary shape analysis
Awards:
- Günter Enderle Best Paper Award (Eurographics 2016)
- SGP 2015 Best Paper Award
Teaching & Mentoring: Kovalsky advises graduate and undergraduate students (e.g., Fengyu Yang, Maddy Vinal) and teaches courses like Optimization in Machine Learning at UNC-CH. He also co-advises students in interdisciplinary projects with Caroline Moosmüller and Jeremy Marzuola.
Labs & Affiliations: Member of the Carolina Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (CCIAM) and previously a Phillip Griffiths Assistant Research Professor at Duke University (2017-2020).
