FACULTY/DEPARTMENT MEMBERS:
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NAME
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POSITION
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EXPERTISE
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PUBS
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CTNS
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Amaral, José Nelson
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Associate Professor |
A substantial part of the gain in processing power of modern computers can be attributed to the optimization of compilers. By applying cleaver transformation to code, a compiler can enable better utilization of the resources available in a machine. A single compiler optimization can easily speed up a non-optimized program by a factor of two or three. However, when applied to an already optimized code, where other cleaver transformations have been previously applied, the same optimization might yield modest improvements, or even result in a slow down.
My research interest is focused on code transformations that are applied at an intermediate representation of the program: A representation that is common to several programming languages and to several processor instruction sets. Thus, such transformations can benefit a large number of systems. Because of the "optimization interference" described above, I am interested on implementing new optimations on state-of-the art production compilers.
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Basu, Anup
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Professor |
The focus of my present academic research is in Quality of Service (QoS) based delivery of Multimedia for Electronic Commerce and TeleLearning. For both these applications it is necessary to adaptively use the bandwidth available and provide the best possible quality according to user priority specifications. I have developed a statistical approach for "Optimal Bandwidth Monitoring" for single server connections as well as for distributed multimedia retrieval. The approach provides an estimation based on statistical confidence level and has shown to produce expected results based on real network tests. In the context of online 2D & 3D visualization, I am developing JAVA Applet based tools for interactive viewing of Super High Resolution & 3D images; this work is being supported by TelePhotogenics Inc. and the National Research Council of Canada. More importantly, I raised substantial industrial funding to build a Super High Resolution digital camera and have designed patented and patent pending technologies for new SHR Stereo and 3D scanners. I have also been active in the Synthetic Natural Hybrid Coding (SNHC) component of MPEG-4 coding. SNHC is part of Working Group 11 (WG11) in MPEG-4. (Continued on webpage) |
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Bischof, Walter
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Professor |
My research interests lie in the area of machine and human vision as well as in machine learning. In machine vision, in methods for learning to recognize objects and, more recently, in learning to recognize complex movement patterns. In human vision, I am interested in spatio-temporal analysis of early visual processes, in motion perception and in the interaction of attention and perception. |
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Boulanger, Pierre
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Associate Professor |
Virtualized reality systems and sensor based geometric modeling. |
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Bulitko, Vadim
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Assistant Professor |
Artificial Intelligence; Machine Learning; Non-conventional Computing |
8
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Buro, Micael
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Associate Professor |
Artificial Intelligence; Heuristic Search in AI; Machine Learning; Function Approximation; Real-Time Command and Control
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Caelli, Terry
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Professor |
In general, my interests lie in the development of Computer Assisted Perception and Action Systems which use sensing, signal processing and Artificial Intelligence techniques. Currently I am working on two main projects:
(1)Environmental Monitoring Systems.
This work is concerned with the development of intelligent sensing systems for aiding the monitoring and intepreting spatio-temporal data sensed from active or passive sensors. Our two main projects in this area are: (a) the development of computer assisted Forestry Inventory systems from aerial cameras and other sensors; (b) the development of integrated GPS/GIS systems for monitoring human and animal behaviour in natural environments. Of particular interest is temporal GIS, how to integrate wavelet decompositions with a variety of hidden Markov models to attain efficent and accurate recognition and tracking algorithms.
(2) Measuring, recognizing and predicting complex human actions.
This work is concerned with training machines to learn how to describe, recognize and predict complex human skills and transfer such skills to others. Here we use both cameras and active sensors to obtain 3D movement information. Our specific interests lie in some new methods for describing actions in terms of the curvature-torsion traces of limb segments, wavelet decompositions, and the use of Dynamical Bayesian Networks, including Hierachical, Coupled Hidden Markov Models, to describe and predict such perception-action tasks.
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Culberson, Joe
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Professor |
My research tends to be a mixture of theoretical analysis and experimental simulation of algorithms and data structures. The goal is a deeper understanding of what makes hard problems hard, and under what conditions hard problems might be approximated. It currently focuses on randomized approaches to NP-complete problems, genetic algorithms, and related topics. |
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Elio, Renée
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Professor |
I'm interested in nearly all aspects of cognitive science and its interface with artificial intelligence.My current work focuses on the application and extension of multiagent communication theory and practice to the design of systems that engage in cooperative tasks with a human user or user-agent. Another project focuses on the management and functionality of goals in a general cognitive architecture. From a cognitive sciences perspective, I integrate aspects of formal models of reasoning and inference from AI and philosophy with empirical data and theories from cognitive psychology. Previous large simulation systems have concerned constructive induction and case-based learning from practice. With colleagues in the English Department, I serve as co-investigator on the Orlando project, which uses SGML/XML for so-called "deep tagging" of semantic information and interpretation contained in the text. |
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Elmallah, Ehab S
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Associate Professor |
I am currently interested in dynamic resource allocation problems that arise in the design of next generation networking infrastructures. That is, I consider infrastructures based on the wide deployment of DWDM (dense wavelength-division multiplexing) transmission in all-optical core networks, wireless networks, mobile ad hoc networks, and the use of large scale ATM switching networks.
With a continuing improved optical device quality and price decline, new WDM transport modes and core switch and router architectures are evolving. In this area, I am interested in investigating such new transport modes and architectures to achieve better network utilization, and provide convergence with today's IP-based Internet traffic. In the area of mobile wireless and mobile ad hoc networks, I am interested in routing and bandwidth allocation problems to support application oriented quality of service (QoS) measures required by many of todays multimedia real time, and streaming services for mobile users.
Some of the challenging aspects of such problems include their dynamic nature, their sensitivity to modelling the underlying physical layer, and the need to provide timely responses in an environment where some of the key parameters are known with uncertainties.
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Gburzynski, Pawel
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Professor |
My research deals with protocol design for various types of communication networks, including high-speed shared media networks (e.g., busses, rings), linked networks (deflection networks, wide area networks), and wireless networks (cellular networks, personal communication systems, special purpose networks). In the area of shared media networks, I have been investigating two closely related issues: the deterioration of normalized throughput with the increasing propagation diameter of the network (the so-called Big-a problem), and protocol fairness in the face of delayed or incomplete access negotiation. Regarding linked networks, my work has dealt with routing algorithms for deflection networks and bandwidth allocation in wide-area networks. In the wireless environment, I am looking at bandwidth allocation issues in cellular networks catering to multiple and diverse traffic types, and at access protocols for symmetric peer-to-peer networks devoid of a central synchronizing agent (base station). I am also interested in operating systems for (wireless) embedded applications and application-level protocols for implementing reliable authenticated transactions in unreliable (hostile) environments. As a hobby, I am fighting spam and upgrading GAPS (the Graduate Applications Processing System). |
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Ghali, Sherif
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Assistant Professor |
My research interests span the areas of computer graphics, algorithmics, and software engineering. I am interested in particular in methods to engineer efficient graphical software systems and in the design and the implementation of geometric frameworks for 3D computer graphics. |
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Goebel, Randy
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Professor |
My current research focuses on the development and application of non-deductive reasoning techniques (non-monotonic reasoning and belief revision) and their application to automated diagnosis, scheduling, database mining, and related areas. The challenge is to retain the clarity and robustness of good theory, while making progress in their practical deployment in real applications.
The current most active application areas are intelligent scheduling, automated layout, and data base mining. The methods for scheduling and layout are based on extensions of the theory and practice of constraint solving and constraint logic programming. In both cases, there exist important and difficult challenges with respect to the incremental specification of complex scheduling and layout constraints, and the incremental dynamic specification of optimization criteria.
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Greiner, Russ
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Professor |
I am interested in building algorithms that learn from experience, to be able to perform their tasks better. Many of my research results extend standard learning algorithms and analyses to produce more robust and more effective learning systems. These include learning techniques that make efficient use of the training sample (e.g. by observing training samples sequentially rather than in batch, or by using a partially specified sample); by learning optimal active classifiers and by exploiting known domain and other relevant information, such as how the learned system will later be used. These learning systems have been successfully used to address a variety of real-world challenges, such as improving the accuracy of complicated reasoning systems, and allowing a robot system to navigate effectively using a reduced number of landmarks. I am currently applying these ideas to improving software systems in general, and to learning probabilistic structures, such as (Bayesian) belief nets, for applications that include diagnosis and decision support systems. |
7
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Harms, Janelle
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Associate Professor |
am interested in the performance analysis of high speed networks with particular emphasis on multimedia applications. The challenge of networks today is to accommodate a wide variety of applications with different service requirements on the same network. Currently I am working in three main interconnected areas:
Resource allocation: This includes research on admission control in ATM networks, scheduling of applications requiring advanced reservation and support for applications requiring multicast routing.
Design of high speed networks: This includes research on the physical design of networks of ATM switches and the logical design of virtual path overlays on ATM networks.
Performance modeling and analysis: This includes research on wireless and mobile computing and underlies the research in the other areas.
The main techniques that I use in my research are simulation, theoretical analysis (including queueing theory, optimisation and graph theory) and measurement.
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Hayward, Ryan
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Associate Professor |
I am interested in algorithms, especially algorithmic graph theory. Much of my work relates to classes of graphs for which certain NP-hard optimization problems (e.g. min colour, max clique, max independent set) can be solved in polynomial time. Some such graph classes (e.g. weakly chordal graphs) are sufficiently general to include many well known classes of graphs, and/or many classes of graphs which arise from various applications. |
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Holte, Robert
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Professor |
Machine Learning; Heuristic Search |
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Hoover, Jim
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Associate Professor |
My work is centered around the core activity of computing science: the specification and implementation of solutions to computational problems. I am interested in constructing practical programming environments which support this end. Presently this is reflected in two main projects.
I am interested in environments for formally specifying and extracting correct programs. This work began with Mizar-C, a natural deduction proof system in which every sufficiently constructive proof of a proposition like for all x-exists y such that Post[x,y], allows us to implicitly extract a function f such that for all x holds Post[x,f(x)]. This f is guaranteed to correctly implement the specifications: Given an input x produce an output y that satisfies Post[x,y]. We are moving towards a richer proof environment, full Mizar, in which we hope to resolve a major problem with implicit methods: the extracted program is hidden from the user and is not conveniently available for further reasoning.
We are also working on application frameworks tailored to the engineering domain - tools for engineers professionally responsible for their use. Our frameworks support the construction of tool families that are consistent in behaviour, do not hide their inner workings, provide for verification of computations, are auditable, and can be extended by the engineer. This work is in conjunction with industrial partners.
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Jägersand , Martin
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Assistant Professor |
Robotics; Vision; Computer Animation; Computational Vision |
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Kondrak, Greg
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Assistant Professor |
The problem of language reconstruction can be defined as follows: given two related human languages, reconstruct their common ancestor. It has all the attributes of a driving problem -- a problem that is easy to state but very hard to solve, and which is a source of new methods and insights that are not restricted in application to a single field of study. Historical linguists, who have been studying the problem for decades, developed the comparative method of language reconstruction. A number of proto-languages have been proposed on the basis of the method. However, language reconstruction is an extremely time-consuming process that has yet to be accomplished for many language families. The amount of data and the complexity of the problem suggest that computers could be of great assistance in achieving this goal. Unfortunately, the comparative method appeals to intuitive criteria and is not sufficiently formalized for a straightforward computer implementation. The problem has attracted attention of prominent researchers in the computational linguistics community but no truly comprehensive and functional solution has been proposed so far.
In my doctoral dissertation I proposed three algorithms for implementing individual steps of the comparative method: identification of cognates, alignment of cognates, and the determination of recurrent correspondences. The algorithms, which incorporate some of the most recent techniques from bioinformatics and natural language processing, have been fully implemented and are publicly available. They represent significant steps towards the goal of automatic proto-language reconstruction from raw dictionary-type data.
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Li, Lihong
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Graduate Student |
machine learning, artificial intelligence |
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Li, Xiaobo
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Professor |
My research interests include pattern recognition, image analysis, and parallel algorithms for image processing. I have been working on a number of theoretical problems and several application-oriented projects. Most of these projects are related, and all serve one general purpose: detecting objects of interest within a digital image. We investigated different image segmentation techniques, including region-based methods and boundary-based methods such as parameter transforms and active contours. Those methods are used in detecting facial features and in medical/agriculture image processing. We are also interested in image compression. |
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Lin, Dekang
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Associate Professor |
I am interested Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning, especially in parsing, statistical language learning, and question answering.
My long term research goal is to develop a theory and a system for NLP that integrate language processing and language learning. The system consists of a processing module and learning module. The initial processing module is endowed with a set of manually coded knowledge. It is then used to process a large amount of natural language text, generating the parse trees and semantic representations for the sentences, for example. The learning module then extracts knowledge from the processed text. Example kinds of knowledge that can be acquired this way include statistics of words and word combinations, idiomatic usages, word similarity, unknown words, etc. Since the learning module takes as input the processed text, instead of raw text, it can acquire more kinds of knowledge with higher accuracy. The newly extracted knowledge can then be integrated into the processing module automatically and enables it to perform better. Such processing-learning cycles constitute a spiral learning process, in which the processing module gradually feed higher quality structures as input to the learning module and the learning module generate more and more accurate knowedge for the processing module.
I developed a principle-based broad-coverage parser for English. It has been used in many applications, such as information extraction and question answering.
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Lin, Guohui
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Assistant Professor |
I am most interested in building adequate computational models for biological problems and applying available computing techniques to solve them, as well as improving existing solving technques. My current main research projects are related to protein function and structure prediction, by using various levels of annotations. |
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Liu, Yongjie
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Graduate Student |
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Lu, Paul
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Assistant Professor |
I am interested in all aspects of high-performance computing, but especially parallel and distributed systems. As well, I have a continuing interest in parallel algorithms for basic problems in computing science, such as sorting and searching. Achieving higher performance through parallelism has been a goal in computer science for decades. What changes are the specific problems that people want to solve and the hardware and software technology available. Today, in addition to scientific and engineering applications, parallelism is being applied to improve the scalability of Web servers and other network-centric applications. New high-speed networks with gigabits of bandwidth and programmable controllers (e.g., Myrinet, Gigabit Ethernet, ATM) make it much more practical to create clusters and networks of workstations.
My research program centers on systems software for parallel and distributed computing. I have developed the Aurora distributed shared data system and its unique approach to providing flexibility in optimizing data communication. I am also interested in operating systems issues with gigabit networks, such as reducing the interrupt and data movement overheads in communication protocols. The goal is to minimize latency and deliver the full network bandwidth to applications. To achieve high performance, it is important to have both efficient parallel algorithms and software that can fully exploit the raw performance of the hardware.
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MacGregor, M H
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Associate Professor |
The performance and scalability of the devices which enable data communications is a cornerstone of today's information economy. These devices - routers and switches - are really just specialized computing devices which run a restricted class of algorithms. My main research interest is in studying the architectural features and behavior of these devices and the algorithms they execute. |
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Müller , Martin
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Associate Professor |
Algorithms; artificial intelligence; heuristic search; knowledge engineering; machine learning; combinatorial game theory |
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Nascimento, Mario A
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Assistant Professor |
Within the wide area of databases, I am interested in image databases, spatiotemporal data, as well as in information retrieval. I particular I have concentrated efforts on content-based image retrieval, mainly as it relates to metadata used for storage/searching and indexing structures. In my recent work my students and I have devised a very compact way to store color histograms which has been shown to be more effective than using standard histograms. Collaboration with other colleagues have resulted in using indexing structures making the retrieval process efficient as well. We have also worked on an approach based on graphs for image retrieval and on a simple and fast way to represent and compare polygonal shapes. Currently my students are working on using a cluster-based environment for image indexing and retrieval, and more ellaborate schemes for image retrieval, though never losing sight of efficiency. |
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Nikolaidis , Ioanis
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Assistant Professor |
My research interests include the design and performance analysis of network protocols, and network systems in general. In particular, I am conducting research related to (a) fairness issues, (b) scalable media distribution services and (c) mobile computing protocols. As a side issue, I develop high performance parallel simulations for the study of network protocols. |
0
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Rafiei, Davood
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Assistant Professor |
Database Systems; Web-in-a-Box Server; Similarity-based Querying and Indexing Novel Data (such as time series, image, text, etc.) |
0
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Rudnicki, Piotr
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Professor |
I am interested in formal specification and verification at all levels of software development. Formal software specification can be practically successful if it is done in an environment that designers are willing to use and that permits mechanical consistency checks. It means that to be general enough, the specification system must be based on a formalization of mathematics that can be subjected to computer correctness checking.
Since 1973, I have been involved in the Mizar project which aims at developing a computerized proof assistant. The motivation for doing my research has been strengthened recently with the declaration of the QED project, a project to build a computer system that effectively represents all important mathematical knowledge and techniques. Mizar can be considered as a very modest trial run for QED. The main current effort in Mizar is the development of the Mizar Mathematical Library.
I believe that any progress in software development depends on a good grasp of logic and mathematics by software engineers. For this reason, we have designed a computer assisted system for teaching elementary logic and we have been using it for years in our undergraduate program.
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Sander, Joerg
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Assistant Professor |
Knowledge Discovery in Databases; Spatial Data Mining; Indexing; Bioinformatics |
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Schaeffer, Jonathan
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Professor |
Heuristic Search:
I am interested in anything to do with single-agent (A*) and two-player (alpha-beta) heuristic search.
Parallel Computing
For over a 10 years, I have worked on developing parallel programming environments. We have had three generations of systems: Frameworks (1987-1991), Enterprise (1991-1995) and COPS (1995-present). COPS is a framework for writing parallel object-oriented programs for shared-memory machines. The user draws a diagram of the concurrency and the system generates code structures for which the user has to fill in sequential code stubs.
We are also currently working on compilation techniques for explicitly parallel programs.
Bioinformatics
My research in this area is currently limited to sequence alignment algorithms.
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Sorenson, Paul
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Professor |
The focus of my current research is in software engineering environments, O-O frameworks, software processes and software quality. Research on tools and processes to support large-scale reuse using O-O frameworks is being conducted under the Frames Project (www.cs.ualberta.ca/~sorenson/frames).
Research in the areas of software process and quality, include the development of "hooks", a method for documenting and using O-O frameworks, and the creation of a quality system framework for small companies. This work is being done in collaboration with Drs. Jim Hoover and Eleni Stroulia.
I am also working with Eleni Stroulia on approaches to understand and re-engineer user interfaces in large legacy systems.
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4
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Stewart, Lorna
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Professor |
My research is in the area of graph theory - algorithm design and complexity, theory and applications - as well as the design and analysis of algorithms in general. My current research is primarily concerned with the design and analysis of algorithms for structured classes of graphs. One aspect of this work is the characterization of properties of the graph class under consideration; another aspect is the development of efficient algorithms based on these properties. Much of my research involves classes of graphs characterized by decomposition schemes, vertex orderings satisfying certain properties, forbidden subgraph characterizations, and graphs arising from intersection, overlap, and containment patterns.
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Stroulia , Eleni
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Associate Professor |
My research interests lie on the intersection of Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence. More specifically, I am interested in all issues relevant to the problem of complex system design, system architecture and system reuse and evolution, and my research methodology is characterized by the application of Artificial Intelligence techniques to these Software Engineering problems. For more information on my current projects, vist my Homepage. |
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0
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Szafron, Duane
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Professor |
My current research interests are object-oriented programming languages, parallel objects and computer poker. In the area of object-oriented programming languages, the Programming Languages Group is interested in adding expressive power to programming languages, while maintaining static typing and increasing execution speed. Here are some examples of language features that we are studying: 1) simultaneous support for inclusion and parametric polymorphism, 2) rich meta structures that support type-safe reflection and type schema evolution and 3) multi-methods. |
0
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0
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Wong, Ken
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Assistant Professor |
Software Evolution; Software Reverse Engineering; Program Understanding Tools |
0
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0
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Yang, Herb
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Professor |
Dr. Yang's research interest covers various areas in computer graphics and computer vision. Topics include 2D and 3D shape analysis, edge detection, segmentation, motion analysis, ultrasound image processing, colour image processing, physics-based modelling and animation, rendering of realistic imagery, and image-based rendering. |
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0
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You, Jia
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Professor |
My research interest lies in various logical formalisms that can serve as the basis for a logic programming language and that provide mechanisms for deduction, abduction, and induction. My latest research efforts have centered around nonmonotonic reasoning in logic programming, its semantics, proof theory, implementation techniques, and applications. |
0
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0
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Yuan, Li-Yan
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Professor |
My research interests include logic programming, artificial intelligence, and database management systems. My current research activities focus on knowledge representation, default reasoning, disjunctive program semantics, and concurrency control of object relational database management systems. |
0
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0
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Zaïane, Osmar R
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Assistant Professor |
My current research interests are knowledge discovery from large databases and information retrieval. In particular, I am interested in data mining from the Internet and data mining from multimedia repositories. The research work I am conducting focuses on web mining related to the content of web documents, the structure of the hypertext documents, and the usage of the World Wide Web.
My research on Web Mining includes: (1) Meta Web, an architecture for abstracting web content and structure and facilitating resource discovery and implicit knowledge extraction; (2) WebML, a declarative query language for web mining; (3) Web access log mining for user browsing behaviour understanding and adaptive web site construction; (4) Analysis of web usage for e-commerce and automatic on-line catalogues.
I am also interested in Content-based Image Retrieval and visual asset management. My recent research has focused on pattern discovery from multimedia repositories such as image and video collections. The application of these techniques for medical imaging is of particular interest to me.
Another research interst is data visualization and manipulation for large data collections or for data mining and analysis results.
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0
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0
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Zhang, Hong
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Professor |
Robotics; collective robotics; dextrous manipulation; tele-robotics; sensor-based robot control. |
0
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0
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Please note that the total of members' statistics may not equal the department/faculty
statistics due to joint authorship.
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