Vasanth Sarathy

Vasanth Sarathy is a Research Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Tufts University, specializing in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing. His work combines neuro-symbolic machine learning techniques with social and cognitive sciences to develop socially-competent and safe AI systems.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science and Cognitive Science, Tufts University (2020)
• Juris Doctor (J.D.), Boston University School of Law (2010)
• M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT (2005)
• B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas (2003)

His research spans three interconnected themes: Social NLP, Reasoning with Social Norms, and Sense-making and Problem-Solving. Through Social NLP, he develops computational methods to uncover patterns in human social behavior using qualitative texts. His work on Reasoning with Social Norms focuses on building AI architectures that can understand and apply social norms in reasoning and language interpretation. His Sense-making research explores how humans and AI systems simplify complex worlds for efficient problem-solving.

His recent publications demonstrate a growing trend toward integrating Large Language Models with symbolic reasoning for more trustworthy AI. His work spans applications including automated writing assistance, intelligent tutoring, fact-checking, social media content moderation, and embodied social robots. His research shows particular strength in developing methods that combine neural and symbolic approaches to address complex social reasoning tasks that neither approach could solve alone.

Previously, Dr. Sarathy worked as a Senior Researcher of AI at Smart Information Flow Technologies, collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Before his AI career, he practiced intellectual property law at Ropes and Gray for nearly a decade. His unique interdisciplinary background bridges technology, law, and cognitive science.

He advises students in AI, NLP, and cognitive systems, with research supported by grants from DARPA and other government agencies. His work has applications in human-robot interaction, social media analysis, and educational technologies.

Outside academia, he creates single-panel cartoons, practices martial arts, plays chess, and designs puzzle video games. His interdisciplinary journey from law to AI has been featured in a BU Law article.