Build life-long connections
Vector’s established alumni network sustains its collaborative culture. The network provides a source of knowledge, mentorship, and partnership opportunities for its members.
Stay connected
As you move to the next exciting phase in your studies or career, we invite you to continue to engage with Vector and interact with researchers and fellow alumni. Vector Alumni are welcome to:
Spotlight on alumni
Shalmali Joshi
Post-doctoral Fellow, Center for Research on Computation on Society, Harvard University (SEAS)
“If done right, AI has a strong potential to improve access to healthcare and the underserved and that is quite exciting!”
Ga Wu
Machine Learning Researcher, Borealis AI
“The opportunity to interact and collaborate with different people at Vector helped shape the way I approach and think about problems.”
Hassan Ashtiani
Assistant Professor, Department of Computing and Software, McMaster University, Vector Faculty Affiliate
“Vector is the machine learning hub in Toronto and being able to stay connected with top machine learning scientists was a huge benefit.”
Angeline Yasodhara
Applied Research Scientist, Georgian
“What I learned about machine learning at Vector feeds directly into my current work and Vector has played a vital role in where I’ve ended up.”
Melissa McCradden
Bioethicist, Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto (status only).
“Having an embedded experience within computer science better prepared me to tackle the ethical challenges relating to the use of healthcare”
Levi Burns
Senior Consultant, KPMG Canada; Data Scientist, KPMG Lighthouse
“The Vector ecosystem is a very motivating environment.”
Shalmali Joshi
Post-doctoral Fellow, Center for Research on Computation on Society, Harvard University (SEAS)
Former: Vector Post-doctoral Fellow (2018-2020)
What did you enjoy most about your time at Vector? The freedom to explore research directions I was most passionate about with the most dedicated and wonderful mix of faculty and students I collaborated with will stay with me for a long time!
What excites you most about the future of AI? If done right, AI has a strong potential to improve access to healthcare and the underserved and that is quite exciting!
Ga Wu
Machine Learning Researcher, Borealis AI
Former: Vector Postgraduate Affiliate (2017-2020)
How did your time at Vector impact your career? The opportunity to interact and collaborate with different people at Vector helped shape the way I approach and think about problems. This has had a long-term positive influence on my career.
How is your research making a difference? We note 90% of machine learning models are not being deployed in real products. The reason usually involves model safety considerations such as robustness, fairness, long-term reliability, etc. My work on model safety research aims to tackle this problem.
Hassan Ashtiani
Assistant Professor, Department of Computing and Software, McMaster University, Vector Faculty Affiliate
Former: Vector Postgraduate Affiliate (2017-2018)
What did you enjoy most about your time at Vector? I enjoyed attending the Friday talks. The reading groups were also a great way to communicate and collaborate with like-minded researchers. Vector is the machine learning hub in Toronto and being able to stay connected with top machine learning scientists was a huge benefit.
Are there any recent accomplishments that you would like to share with us? A recent paper published in Journal of the ACM about robust/agnostic learning Gaussians Mixture Models using compression (with Shai Ben-David, Nick Harvey, Chris Liaw, Abbas Mehrabian, and Yaniv Plan). I am hopeful that this work helps to unravel the deep connections between learning and compression in general.
Angeline Yasodhara
Applied Research Scientist, Georgian
Former: Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence Recipient (2018-19)
MSc in Computer Science, University of Toronto
How did your time at Vector impact your career? During my time at Vector I learned about new and different fields within AI, through the great researchers and talks that I was able to attend. What I learned about machine learning at Vector feeds directly into my current work and Vector has played a vital role in where I’ve ended up.
How is your work making a difference? I contribute to tools that identify hidden gems among companies, so that we can support them with funding and growth opportunities, while making sure we aren’t biasing our assessments
Learn more about what I’m working on through my talk on “Incorporating Explainability to User Workflows” here.
Melissa McCradden
Bioethicist, Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto (status only).
Former: Vector Post-doctoral Fellow (2019)
How did your time at Vector impact your career? Having an embedded experience within computer science better prepared me to tackle the ethical challenges relating to the use of healthcare AI. As a medical ethicist (bioethicist), I don’t need to understand everything about medicine – but I need to know enough to understand the benefits, risks, and possible consequences. It’s the same with AI, and staying up to date with the technology is so valuable. Also, the connections I’ve made at Vector are the same folks I continue to work with now.
How is your research making a difference? Our research project on explainability in point-of-care ML tools is being used to guide decisions about the research and translation of tools at SickKids. My work in bias is currently used as part of our evaluative process with the research ethics board. Our templates provide guidance and suggestions to researchers to help them query and quantify bias in their research.
Levi Burns
Senior Consultant, KPMG Canada; Data Scientist, KPMG Lighthouse
Former: Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence Recipient (2018-19)
Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence, Queen’s University (Smith School of Business)
What did you enjoy most about your time as a Vector Scholarship in AI recipient? The Vector ecosystem is a very motivating environment. The best part of receiving this award was the opportunity to be connected to so many other people who not only have visions of how AI can be pushed to new heights, but also the drive, curiosity, and hard skills to make those visions real.
What are you working on now? I am a Senior Consultant at KPMG Canada and a Data Scientist with KPMG Lighthouse. KPMG is one of the Big Four international consulting firms, and Lighthouse is our global center of excellence for machine learning, AI, and emerging technologies. I sit on the more technical side of the team and spend most of my days thinking about data and algorithms, although I also enjoy occasionally contributing to projects that focus on strategy, risk assessment, or ethics.
Learn more about my transition to AI consulting through my talk “Transitioning from Research to AI Consulting at KPMG Lighthouse” here.
Vector alumni may be invited to participate in Vector talks, symposia and other events throughout the year. Make sure to keep your contact details up to date and opt-in to hear from us.