Teaching & Mentorship

Empowering the next generation of AI researchers and practitioners

Course Leadership

Machine Learning 1 (CSCI 4587/5587)
University of New Orleans • Fall 2025

Comprehensive introduction to machine learning with strong emphasis on PyTorch implementation and deep understanding of fundamental algorithms. The curriculum follows a systematic progression from basic statistical learning methods to advanced neural network architectures, with particular focus on understanding and implementing backpropagation from the ground up.

Meeting Time: Mon & Wed, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Location: Mathematics Building, Room 322
Format: Hybrid (In-person + Online)
Prerequisites: Data Structures, Linear Algebra

Course Modules:

Statistical LearningNeural NetworksCNNsRNNs & LSTMSeq2Seq ModelsPyTorchBackpropagationComputer VisionNLP

Teaching Approach:

  • Building-block approach from linear models to advanced architectures
  • Hands-on PyTorch implementation with manual backpropagation understanding
  • Four comprehensive programming assignments (40%)
  • Two midterm examinations (30%) and final project (25%)
  • Weekly quizzes and active class participation (5%)
Machine Learning 2 (CSCI 4588/5588)
University of New Orleans • Spring 2024

Advanced machine learning course covering cutting-edge ML algorithms, their implementation, and practical applications in addressing real-world challenges. Focus on machine learning models for high-dimensional and complex data where traditional deterministic methods often fall short.

Meeting Time: Tue & Thu, 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Location: Mathematics Building, Room 322
Format: Hybrid (In-person + Zoom)
Prerequisites: Data Structures or Algorithms

Course Topics:

Regression/ClassificationNeural NetworksCNNsSupport Vector MachinesTransformers (Encoder-Decoder)Transformers (Decoder-Only)

Assessment & Approach:

  • Programming projects and assignments for practical implementation (44%)
  • Class tests focusing on algorithm understanding (33%)
  • Final examination covering comprehensive course content (29%)
  • Real-world applications: search engines, robotics, medical diagnostics, computer vision
  • Bonus opportunity (10%) for publishable work related to course topics

Student Mentorship

Ph.D. Students (Major Professor)

Dr. Rasha Alshawi

Ph.D. in Computer Science • 2023-2025 • Completed

Dissertation: "Advanced Deep Learning Techniques for Infrastructure Defect Detection and Segmentation"

Research focused on developing state-of-the-art neural network architectures for automated inspection of culverts and sewer systems, including imbalance-aware segmentation, attention mechanisms, and dual-attentive U-Net architectures.

4+ PublicationsIEEE TransactionsIEEE Journal

Johny Javier Lopez

M.S. in Computer Science • 2024-Present • In Progress

Thesis: "Machine Learning Applications in Infrastructure Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance"

Research involves developing intelligent systems for real-time infrastructure health monitoring using computer vision and IoT sensors. Focus on edge computing solutions for resource-constrained environments.

Co-Supervisor & Research Mentor

Gao Yu Lee

Ph.D. Student, Nanyang Technological University • 2022-2024

Research on explainable few-shot learning in remote sensing. Co-authored publications in Artificial Intelligence Review (IF: 10.7) and IEEE/CVF WACV.

Tanmoy Dam

Ph.D. Student, Nanyang Technological University • 2021-2023

Research on adversarial learning and continual learning. Co-authored 6+ publications in ACM CIKM, IEEE ICIP, and ECML-PKDD.

Austin B. Schmidt

Graduate Research Assistant, University of New Orleans • 2024-Present

Research on physics-regularized machine learning for oceanic parameter forecasting using multi-hyperparameter optimization.

Christina Thrainer

Visiting Scholar, Graz University of Technology • 2024-Present

Research on FORTRESS framework for real-time resilient structural segmentation using Kolmogorov-Arnold enhanced networks.

Md Rasel Sarkar

Ph.D. Student, UNSW Australia • 2023-Present

Research on adaptive spectral and self-supervised learning for wind power forecasting using CNN-LSTM architectures.

Mentoring Impact

Achievements

  • 10+ graduate students mentored
  • 1 Ph.D. completed as major professor
  • 20+ joint publications with students
  • 10+ conference presentations
  • Multiple best paper nominations

Student Outcomes

  • • Placements in industry and academia
  • • Publications in top-tier venues
  • • Conference travel awards
  • • Research collaboration networks
  • • Career development guidance

Professional Service

Editorial & Review Service
  • • Reviewer for 15+ leading journals
  • • IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks
  • • IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics
  • • ACM Computing Surveys
  • • Expert Systems with Applications
  • • Applied Soft Computing
  • • Editorial board member
Conference Committees
  • • Program committee member
  • • Technical program committee
  • • Session chair at international conferences
  • • Workshop organizer
Industry Partnerships
  • • U.S. Navy Department collaboration
  • • United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
  • • Australian Defence partnerships
  • • Technology firms consulting
  • • Research translation to industry
  • • Joint research projects
Community Engagement
  • • Guest lectures at universities
  • • Seminar series organization
  • • Undergraduate research mentoring
  • • STEM outreach programs
  • • Career guidance for students
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