Patrick Emami is a doctoral student in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering at UF. Emami is currently working with a UFTI multidisciplinary research team on a project funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) . Below are Emami’s thoughts on UF, his research, life as a graduate student and more.
What brought you to the University of Florida initially?
I transferred to the University of Florida after attending Fordham University in the Bronx for one year. I wanted to study Computer Engineering, and I realized that the University of Florida was going to offer me the best possible education. I am originally from Jacksonville, so coming back to my home state was a no-brainier even though I really enjoyed my time in New York City.
What is it about the University of Florida that compels you to stay and complete your Ph.D. here?
The University of Florida is a top-tier research university with tons of ongoing well-funded projects. I believe it is the best institution in this part of the country that I could attend while also being close to my friends and family. There is a great culture here of diversity, commitment to excellence, and dedication to producing results that have a global impact.
What field of study are you in?
I am a Computer Science Ph.D. student with a specific focus in Machine Learning.
What is your current research project and how does it relate to transportation? What are your duties on the project? Have you encountered any challenges?
Currently, I am working on an FDOT and NSF-funded project to develop an intelligent intersection control system. This intersection controller will significantly reduce the amount of wasted green-time for traffic that consists of autonomous, connected, and conventional vehicles. I am working on two main components of the project. First, I am developing a sensor fusion pipeline to obtain the information our controller needs for all of the different classes of vehicles approaching the intersection. Second, I am working on the joint-optimization problem of deciding the best possible phase pattern for the signalization, as well as assigning trajectories to approaching autonomous vehicles that maximize the throughput of the intersection. I have also contributed a lot to the ongoing engineering effort of deploying our system onto hardware to test it out on a real intersection. As I just started working on this project this semester, I haven’t yet encountered too many challenges with the research tasks, but I can foresee that there will be plenty. For example, the sensors we are using to extract information from oncoming traffic will provide data that is not 100 percent accurate; our processing pipeline and optimization algorithms will need to take this into account.
Who is your faculty adviser and what do you enjoy most about working with your faculty project advisor or the lead researcher and/or team?
My faculty advisor is Dr. Sanjay Ranka. Dr. Lily Elefteriadou and Dr. Carl Crane are also on this project; all three are great to work with. Dr. Ranka has extensive experience in algorithms and data mining, and I hope to learn a lot from his guidance as I dive deeper into the project. What I enjoy most about working with him is that he always makes sure that I am doing well and that I am working on projects that I enjoy and are aligned with my personal academic goals.
Are there any events that occurred during your degree program that makes you appreciate your field of study more?
While I was an undergraduate, Hackathons became extremely popular. Hackathons are 24-48-hour programming events where students form teams and work on a programming project from start to finish. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other students and industry, as well as learn new programming languages and frameworks. This not only brings entire CS departments together, but also encourages collaboration with other nearby universities, as usually students travel to attend Hackathons at nearby schools. These events are fun, even though you tend to lose out on a lot of sleep! It should also be noted that no actual “hacking” takes place at these events.
Do you belong to any student organizations? What is the importance of belonging to student organizations?
I am a co-founder of the Association of Computer Engineers (ACE). I was the first Project Manager for ACE from 2014-2015. I am also currently a member of UF CISE’s TYPE Initiative (UF Teaching Youth Programming Essentials), the CISE’s official outreach program. We volunteer at local high schools and teach after-school programming classes. I believe it is incredibly important to be involved with student organizations and outreach programs, especially ones that promote diversity. My field of study is one that severely lacks diversity; it is up to us to go to local high-schools and middle-schools and do our best to show underrepresented groups that they can succeed in our field as well
What are your plans after graduation?
After I graduate with my PhD, I hope to achieve the best possible job I can. This may be working in a research lab in the private sector or working in academia as a post-doctoral fellow or starting out at a tenure-track faculty position.
Any words of advice for students thinking of going into this field of study?
For students interested in studying computer science, I would emphasize getting a solid foundation in the fundamentals before specializing in one specific area of CS. Studying CS provides you with an incredibly flexible and useful set of tools that you can take almost anywhere in today’s technology-driven society. Having a solid foundation will allow you to apply your skills to whatever it is you’re passionate about, whether it is theoretical computer science research or helping to make the internet available to remote areas of the world.
Do you have any hobbies or past-times that you’d like to share with us?
I really enjoy reading fantasy and science-fiction novels. Currently I am reading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, and I recently finished reading the Game of Thrones books. I also enjoy playing guitar and traveling.