Inaugural Lectures - Prof. Maria Brbic and Prof. Thomas Bourgeat
Event details
| Date | 13.06.2024 |
| Hour | 17:00 › 18:35 |
| Speaker | Prof. Maria Brbic, Prof. Thomas Bourgeat |
| Location | |
| Category | Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture |
| Event Language | English |
Date: Thursday 13 June 2024
Program:
Registration: Click here
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Prof. Maria Brbic
Towards AI-Enabled Discoveries in Biomedicine
Abstract
We are witnessing an AI revolution. At the heart of this revolution are generative AI models that, powered by advanced architectures and large datasets, are transforming AI across a variety of disciplines. But how can AI facilitate and eventually enable groundbreaking discoveries in life sciences? How can it bring us closer to understanding biology – the functions of our cells, their alterations in diseases, and their response to treatments? In this talk, I will discuss the machine learning methods and paradigms that are needed to bridge AI and biomedicine, unlocking a new era of digital biomedicine where AI holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of life.
About the speaker
Maria Brbic is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Life Sciences at EPFL. She develops new machine learning methods and applies her methods to advance biology and biomedicine. Her methods have been used by global cell atlas consortia efforts aiming to create reference maps of all cell types with the potential to transform biomedicine, including the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) and Fly Cell Atlas consortium. Prior to joining EPFL in September 2022, Maria was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, Department of Computer Science, and was a member of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub at Stanford. Maria received her PhD from University of Zagreb in 2019 while also researching at Stanford University as a Fulbright Scholar and University of Tokyo. Among other recognitions and awards, she was named a rising star in EECS by MIT in 2021, received the Josip Loncar silver plaque for outstanding PhD thesis in 2019 and the Early Career Bioinformatics Award by SIB in 2023.
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Prof. Thomas Bourgeat
Taming the Complexity of Future Computer Designs
Abstract
Massively parallel and specialized architectures, exemplified by GPUs, have been instrumental in driving several recent scientific breakthroughs, from protein folding to robotics. These machines now handle the majority of the world's computational load. The growing complexity in designing this kind of machine, aimed at meeting the computational needs and opportunities of promising upcoming algorithms, requires tremendous time and effort from engineers to test and validate the new designs. This task, known as verification, is becoming one of the primary challenges in hardware design development. This talk will present techniques I have developed to place verification at the core of computer design, rather than treating verification as an afterthought. I will discuss how these techniques could not only improve the development cycle but also provide a solid foundation for establishing clear hardware security guarantees for future computer architectures.
About the speaker
Thomas Bourgeat is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in computer science at EPFL, where he leads the Verification and Computer Architecture Laboratory. His research lies between computer architecture, programming languages and formal methods. He develops techniques to specify, design, and verify the correctness of processors and accelerators. Before starting at EPFL, Thomas Bourgeat studied at MIT under the supervision of Arvind and Adam Chlipala, where he received his PhD degree in 2022.
Program:
- 17:00-17:05: Welcome by Prof. Rüdiger Urbanke, Dean of the IC School & Prof. Andrew Oates, Dean of the School of Life Sciences
- 17:05-17:10: Introduction by Prof. Rüdiger Urbanke
- 17:10-17:40: Inaugural Lecture Prof. Maria Brbic
- 17:40-17:50: Q & A
- 17:50-17:55: Introduction by Prof. Rüdiger Urbanke
- 17:55-18:25: Inaugural Lecture Prof. Thomas Bourgeat
- 18:25-18:35: Q & A
- 18:35-20:00: Apéritif in the SV Hall
Registration: Click here
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Prof. Maria Brbic
Towards AI-Enabled Discoveries in Biomedicine
Abstract
We are witnessing an AI revolution. At the heart of this revolution are generative AI models that, powered by advanced architectures and large datasets, are transforming AI across a variety of disciplines. But how can AI facilitate and eventually enable groundbreaking discoveries in life sciences? How can it bring us closer to understanding biology – the functions of our cells, their alterations in diseases, and their response to treatments? In this talk, I will discuss the machine learning methods and paradigms that are needed to bridge AI and biomedicine, unlocking a new era of digital biomedicine where AI holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of life.
About the speaker
Maria Brbic is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Life Sciences at EPFL. She develops new machine learning methods and applies her methods to advance biology and biomedicine. Her methods have been used by global cell atlas consortia efforts aiming to create reference maps of all cell types with the potential to transform biomedicine, including the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) and Fly Cell Atlas consortium. Prior to joining EPFL in September 2022, Maria was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, Department of Computer Science, and was a member of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub at Stanford. Maria received her PhD from University of Zagreb in 2019 while also researching at Stanford University as a Fulbright Scholar and University of Tokyo. Among other recognitions and awards, she was named a rising star in EECS by MIT in 2021, received the Josip Loncar silver plaque for outstanding PhD thesis in 2019 and the Early Career Bioinformatics Award by SIB in 2023.
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Prof. Thomas Bourgeat
Taming the Complexity of Future Computer Designs
Abstract
Massively parallel and specialized architectures, exemplified by GPUs, have been instrumental in driving several recent scientific breakthroughs, from protein folding to robotics. These machines now handle the majority of the world's computational load. The growing complexity in designing this kind of machine, aimed at meeting the computational needs and opportunities of promising upcoming algorithms, requires tremendous time and effort from engineers to test and validate the new designs. This task, known as verification, is becoming one of the primary challenges in hardware design development. This talk will present techniques I have developed to place verification at the core of computer design, rather than treating verification as an afterthought. I will discuss how these techniques could not only improve the development cycle but also provide a solid foundation for establishing clear hardware security guarantees for future computer architectures.
About the speaker
Thomas Bourgeat is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in computer science at EPFL, where he leads the Verification and Computer Architecture Laboratory. His research lies between computer architecture, programming languages and formal methods. He develops techniques to specify, design, and verify the correctness of processors and accelerators. Before starting at EPFL, Thomas Bourgeat studied at MIT under the supervision of Arvind and Adam Chlipala, where he received his PhD degree in 2022.
Practical information
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