Profile
Senior researcher in Natural Language Understanding (NLU)
Expertise
- Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
- Natural language understanding
- Data collection and analysis
Professional experience
- Senior researcher in Natural Language Understanding (NLU), Cerence Inc., Montréal (2019-...)
- Project leader for data collection (data used for training and testing deep-learning-based NLU models)
- Design and implement architectures and platforms for collecting, processing, statistically measuring, analyzing and vizualising collected data
- Research, design and run data collection experiments on crowdsource platforms for improving data quality and reducing costs
- Document, recommend and implement best practices for data collection
- Design specifications for annotating natural language data
- Improve accuracy of deep learning systems for NLU
- Project leader for data collection (data used for training and testing deep-learning-based NLU models)
- Senior researcher in Natural Language Understanding (NLU), Nuance Communications, Montréal (2012-2019)
- Develop and deliver high-quality Natural Language Understanding (NLU) models
- Setup and document automated processes for customizing a complex pipeline for building NLU models, namely the automatic creation of an ontology, converting and partitioning data, training, testing and releasing models
- Create and manage scripts and tools, configuration files (conversions, canonicalization), grammars, dictionaries and data files
- Act as tech leader for the coordination and integration of work from colleagues
- Design, implement and re-factor grammars, focusing on modular and re-usable code shared across projects, on coverage and accuracy (e.g., minimizing over-generation), on quality (implementing best practices, using the latest tools and techniques available), and on compliance with annotation specifications
- Improve system accuracy, set up infrastructure and processes to continuously monitor and evaluate model accuracy (e.g., generate statistics). Analyze accuracy reports, model tagging errors and logs, seek patterns, propose and implement improvements to improve accuracy, including improving grammars, correcting annotations, improving training data, canonicalization, conversions, filtering, etc.
- Deliver models to external teams, and provide support for the NLU models (bug fixes, feature requests).
- Senior researcher in biometric signals' analysis, OMSignal, Montréal (2012)
- Research and implement algorithms for measuring biometric signals
- Devise and run experiments for testing algorithms
- Develop tools for analyzing and visualizing collected data
- Contract researcher (post-doctoral)
- Université de Montréal, Canada (2010-2012)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Marseille, France (2008-2010)
- Lecturer, Introduction to Cognition course (>200 students), Université de Montréal (2010)
- Software designer, Preside Network Services, Nortel Networks, Montréal, Canada (1999-2001)
- IP network management: SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) agents, protocol translation tools, and standardized interfaces
- Speech recognition: SQL-based tools to automate data generation for describing speech-activated services, improvement of recognition rates and detection of out-of-vocabulary words using statistical techniques
- Software designer, Video group, Matrox Electronic Systems, Montréal, Canada (1998-1999)
- C++ libraries used for the development of applications and plug-ins
- C++ tutorial code released to software designers who develop OEM applications
- Some experience using software design methodologies (xUML)
- Researcher (internship) in speech recognition, Daimler-Benz research center, Ulm, Germany (1995)
- Software designer (internship), Bell Northern Research, Montréal, Canada (1995 & 1998)
- Technician and operator, Vidéotron Services Informatiques, Montréal, Canada (1991-1994)
Education
- Ph.D., Cognitive sciences, Department of Psychology, McGill University (2002-2007)
- Master of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, McGill University (1996-1998)
- Bachelor of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (1990-1995)
Academic Work
Research
- Doctoral thesis entitled "Computational modelling of learning in complex problem solving tasks" defended in 2007
- Publishing in top, peer-reviewed scientific journals (14 articles including 10 as first author), including Neural Networks, Connection Science, and IEEE Transactions
- Presenting talks and posters at international scientific conferences (18 projects and papers, including 13 as first author)
- Research areas
- Machine learning: supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement
- Symbolic and hybrid (connectionist and symbolic) systems
- Modeling and computer simulations of human cognition: problem solving, learning, and visual word recognition
- Statistical, quantitative and experimental methods: detection of significant maxima and spurts in noisy data, and Web-based experiments
Service to the community
- Reviewing scientific articles, including for the IEEE Transactions and Connection Science
- Co-supervising two psychology students' honours theses at McGill University (2006-2007)
- Councillor, Post-Graduate Student Society, McGill University (2005-2006)
- VP Finance, Graduate Association of Students in Psychology, McGill University (2003-2005)
- Volunteer, International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) (1996-1998)
- Volunteer, McGill Buddy Program for international students (1996-1997)
- VP Finance, Electrical Engineering Graduate Students' Society, McGill University(1996-1997)
Fellowships and scholarships
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (post-doctoral, 2010-2012)
- Lloyd Carr-Harris McGill major (2005-2007)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2002-2005)
- Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (2002-2004)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (1996-1998)
- Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l'Aide à la Recherche (awarded but declined, 1996)
Other achievements and information
- Recipient of the De Vinci profile at École Polytechnique de Montréal (1994-1995)
- Student exchange, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland (1993-1994)
- Teaching assistant for computer engineering courses, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and McGill University (1993 and 1997)
- Teaching assistant at McGill University for four cognitive psychology courses, including one at the graduate level (2004 to 2006)
- Internship (3 months), Neural Systems Group, Imperial College, London, UK (1997)
- Past member of the International Neural Network Society, and the Cognitive Science Society
- Manager of a research lab's computer network at McGill University
- Good knowledge of statistical analyses techniques and software such as SPSS and R