Biography
I am an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Creighton University, where I have taught and mentored students in computer science, data science, and health informatics since joining in July 2020. My research focuses on developing advanced deep learning models for applications in computer vision, medical imaging, and natural language processing. Before my current role, I completed postdoctoral research in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida from September 2018 to June 2020, contributing to projects funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), National Science Foundation (NSF), and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), with a focus on deep learning and computer vision. Additionally, I conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from July 2017 to August 2018, working on National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded projects related to deep learning and medical image processing. My research has obtained compute credits through NAIRR Pilot Classroom, NAIRR Startup, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform. I have published articles in high-impact AI venues, including NeurIPS, CVPR, ECCV, and ICCV.
SRP Project Title
Building Generative AI Applications
NAIRR Project
CSC 590 - Building Generative AI Applications
Topical Areas
Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems; Computer Science; Health Sciences; Software Engineering
Abstract
This project explores how to build artificial intelligence systems that can create, understand, and assist with real-world tasks. We'll work on three exciting types of applications. First, we'll create an AI that can generate new content, such as images. This has applications everywhere from art and entertainment to marketing and product design. Second, we'll build AI that can search through large collections of information and provide accurate, helpful answers by combining what it finds with its ability to generate responses. Think of this as creating smarter search tools or assistants that can actually comprehend documents and assist people in making informed decisions. Third, we'll develop autonomous AI agents that can complete multi-step tasks independently, like digital assistants that handle scheduling, research, or workflow automation. This work matters because these technologies are transforming every industry from healthcare to education to creative fields. Understanding how to build them responsibly puts you at the forefront of real innovation. We welcome collaborators from all backgrounds and experience levels, whether you're interested in coding, design, ethics, user experience, or simply curious about what AI can do. You'll gain practical hands-on skills while working on applications that could genuinely help people in their everyday lives.
Desired Skills
We welcome collaborators from diverse backgrounds and with varying experience levels. Helpful skills include basic programming in any language, an interest in how AI systems work, or experience with data and information. Creative thinking, problem solving, user experience design, and perspectives on ethics or responsible AI development are all valuable. Most importantly, we're looking for curiosity, willingness to learn, and enthusiasm for exploring how these technologies can solve real problems.
Additional Comments
If possible, I would be interested in considering the following two students from Creighton University: (1) Our PhD student, Vignesh Rathinavelpandian Anandavel, applied for the student track and was also included in my initial faculty track application. (2) The undergraduate student, Sara Avila, was only included as a student in my initial faculty track application.
Lightning Talk Title
Generative AI for Cochlear Hair Cell Detection
Keywords
Generative AI; Deep Learning; Computer Vision; Machine Learning; Medical Image Processing.