Rashmi Sundareswara

                                                                                                                      sundares@cs.umn.edu

Department of Computer Science

University of Minnesota

http://www.cs.umn.edu/~sundares

651-917-3899

 

Research Interests:

My interests lie within the broad area of Machine Learning and its applications to human perception, pattern classification, simulation, modeling, quantitative prediction and data analysis.

 

Education:

PhD Candidate, Computer Science

Advisor: Dr. Paul R. Schrater

University of Minnesota

Sept 2002 – Present (expected December 2007)

 

M.S., Computer Science

Advisor: Dr. Richard Voyles

University of Minnesota

Aug 2002

 

B.S., Computer Science, minor in Psychology

University of Minnesota

August 1999

 

Research/Work Experience:

Dissertation Research:  

·                    Developed a probabilistic model for bistability based on a Bayesian framework.

·                    Quantified the time series data from this model using Markov Renewal Processes and Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling methods.

·                    Developed a novel Bayesian camera calibration system using concepts of particle filtering and Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling methods.

·                    Designed experiment to study bistability in human vision.  Collected over 300 hours of subject data.

 

Other University of Minnesota Research: 

  • Medical Device Laboratory (6/05 –9/05 ):  Research on analysis and classification of phonographic heart signals using linear and higher order classifiers.
  • Computer Architecture Research (9/04 – 6/05):  Developed a novel application using Independent Components Analysis (ICA) to analyze workload characterization of computer programs.  Method developed showed more accurate description of the underlying program behavior than previously used method.

 

  • Computational Action and Perception Lab (6/03 – 6/04):  Developed a novel system using Bayesian analysis for location of the eye position in virtual reality set-ups for accurate rendering of scenes in the display.  This system was done using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling techniques. 

 

  • Computational Action and Perception Lab (9/02 –6/03):  Developed various pattern recognition algorithms for the classification of shapes (specifically for leaves and hands).

 

  • Geology Department (9/01 – 01/ 02):  Developed a graphical model for sedimentation modeling.

 

  • Artificial Intelligence Lab: (9/98 – 6/99):  Developed an online e-commerce negotiation testbed’s (MAGNET) search algorithm.

 

Point Cloud, Inc – Plymouth, MN (6/ 1999 – 8/01): Developed algorithms for triangulation, geometry compression, point location and other general methods for 3D reconstruction from images (worked mostly using Visual C++).  Novel aspects of research include a method for point location in an N-D mesh and improved geometry compression algorithm.

 

Programming Skills:

Matlab, C++, Java, Scheme, LISP, Prolog.

 

Teaching Experience: 

Spring 2006:       Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychology

Fall 2005:            Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychology

Spring 2005:        Teaching Assistant, Computer Vision

Fall 2004:            Teaching Assistant, Pattern Recognition

Summer 2004:     Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychology

Spring 2004:        Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Scheme

                           Teaching Assistant, Artificial Intelligence II

Fall 2003:            Teaching Assistant, Pattern Recognition

Spring 2003:        Teaching Assistant, Computer Vision

                           Teaching Assistant, Artificial Intelligence II

Fall 2002:            Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Programming using Java

Summer 2002:     Instructor, Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Spring 2002:        Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychology

 

 

 

 

Publications:

Abstracts/Posters:

  • Sundareswara, R., Schrater, P.R., “A Perceptual Inference Model for Bistability, Vision Sciences Symposium, Sarasota, Florida, May 11-16th  2007.
  • Sundareswara, R., Kallie, C., Schrater, P.R., “Perceptual Bistability Modulated by Priming.”  Vision Sciences Symposium, Sarasota, Florida, May 5-8th 2006.
  • Sundareswara, R. and Schrater, P.R., “Workspace Calibration using Perceptual Judgments” (under preparation) to ACM Transactions on Perception, Special Issue of Applied Perception, Graphics and Visualization Conference.

o       Poster of similar work presented at Applied Perception, Graphics and Visualization Conference, 2004 and also at SIGGRAPH 2004, Los Angeles, California.

 

Journals/Conferences:

  • Sundareswara, R., Schrater, P., “Predictions from a Perceptual Model for Bistability” Nature Neuroscience  (in preparation)

 

  • Sundareswara, R., Schrater, P., “Bayesian Averaging of Sampled 3D Reconstructions leads to Better Accuracy” Computer Vision and Image Understanding.  (in preparation)

 

  • Sundareswara, R., Schrater, P., “Interpreting Bistability using Perceptual Inference” Journal of Vision  (submitted, currently under revision)

 

  • Schrater, P., Sundareswara, R. , “Theory and Dynamics of Perceptual Bistability” Neural Information Processing Systems 2006

 

  • Sundareswara, R. and Schrater, P.R., “Bayesian Modeling of Camera Calibration and Reconstruction.” International Conference on 3D Digital Imaging and Modeling, Ottawa, Canada June 13-17th, 2005 Ottawa, Canada.

 

  • Sundareswara, R. and Schrater, P.R., “Extensible Point Location Algorithm.” International Conference on Geometrical Modeling and Graphics, July 16-18, 2003 London, England.

 

  • Collins, J., Sundareswara, R., Gini, M., and Mobasher B., “Bid selection strategies for multi-agent contracting in the presence of scheduling constraints.” In A. Moukas, C. Sierra, and F. Ygge, editors, Agent Mediated Electronic Commerce II, volume LNAI1788. Springer-Verlag, 2000.

 

  • Collins, J., Sundareswara, R., Tsvetovat, M., Gini, M. and Mobasher. B. "Search strategies for bid selection in multi-agent contracting." In International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence Workshop on Agent-Mediated Electronic Commerce, Stockholm, Sweden, July 1999
  • Collins, J., Tsvetovat, M., Sundareswara, R., Tonder, J. V., Gini, M. and B. Mobasher. "Evaluating risk: Flexibility and feasibility in multi-agent contracting." In Proc. of the Third Int'l Conf. on Autonomous Agents, pages 350--351, Seattle, WA. May 1999.

 

  • Collins, J., Tsvetovat, M., Bilot, C., Sundareswara, R., Lee, T., Gini, M. and B. Mobasher. "A framework for mixed initiative agent-based contracting." In First IAC Workshop on Internet Based Negotiation Technologies, March 1999.

 

  • Tsvetovat, M., Collins, J., Sundareswara, R., Tonder, J. V., M. Gini, and B. Mobasher. "Bid selection in multi-agent contracting." In First International Workshop of Central and Eastern Europe on Multi-Agent Systems, St. Petersburg, Russia, June 1999.

 

Awards:

  • Graduate Women in Science:  Mary Haga Travel Award recipient - June, 2005.
  • Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics Invited Guest Award recipient for attendance of “Mathematics of Mind: Probabilistic Models of Cognition”, January, 2005 held at the University of California, Los Angeles.
  • “Most Promising Technological Breakthrough” award for research poster titled, “Workspace calibration using Perceptual Judgments” at the Computer Science Graduate Poster Conference, University of Minnesota, October 2004.
  • Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Award, University of Minnesota, June 1998.

 

Committees:

Programs Co-chair for the Graduate Women in Science, June 2005-August 2006.

 

References:

Professor Paul R. Schrater, University of Minnesota, schrater@umn.edu

Professor Daniel Kersten, University of Minnesota, kersten@umn.edu