Coursework
Selected coursework and projects from my graduate studies.
CSCI 5302 — Advanced Robotics
Topics
ROS2 Kinematics & Controls Motion Planning Convex Optimization State Estimation SLAM Deep RL Human-Agent Teaming
AWS DeepRacer navigating a hallway autonomously.
- Implemented RRT and RRT* for motion planning in high-dimensional spaces, handling both holonomic and non-holonomic motion.
- Configured ROS2 environment and developed publisher/subscriber and service/client nodes in Python.
- Implemented value iteration and policy iteration for grid-world environments; applied interpolation methods for continuous state spaces (MountainCar).
- Built an autonomous navigation system on AWS DeepRacer using LIDAR-based obstacle avoidance with PID control and YOLOv3 for stop sign recognition.
CSCI 7000 — Vision Language Models for Robots
Topics
VLAs VLMs Sense-Plan-Act to Represent-Reason-Execute Transformers Embodied AI
CSCI 7000 — Transformer-Based Robotic AI
Topics
Transformers for Robotics LLMs VLMs VLAs Multi-Modal Learning
- Published an article implementing CLIP with pre-trained embeddings for robotic perception.
- Analyzed Deep Transformer Q-Networks (DTQN) in reinforcement learning, detailing findings in this article.
- Analyzed transformer applications in robotics including Open X-Embodiment, OK-Robot, Manipulate-Anything, and Vision Transformers.
- Explored scalability of VLMs and VLAs for real-world robotic tasks, evaluating architectures like CLIP, GPT, and diffusion models.
ASEN/CSCI 5264 — Decision Making under Uncertainty
Topics
Bayesian Networks MDPs Reinforcement Learning Deep Q-Networks Policy Gradient Actor-Critic POMDPs Particle Filters Game Theory Imitation Learning Inverse RL
Sample work
- Implemented online MDP methods using grid-world simulations; developed Monte Carlo Policy Evaluation and MCTS for decision-making optimization.
- Comparative analysis of tabular RL algorithms (Q-Learning, SARSA), crafting learning curves to evaluate efficiencies.
- Modeled a POMDP for cancer monitoring using QuickPOMDPs.jl; integrated neural networks for function approximation in RL.
- Developed QMDP and SARSOP solvers for TigerPOMDP, evaluating heuristic vs. optimal policies.
- Formulated policies and belief updaters for a Lasertag POMDP using deep RL and POMCP.
CSCI 5922 — Neural Networks and Deep Learning
Topics
MLPs Backpropagation CNNs Regularization Data Efficiency Multi-Modal Architectures Visual Question Answering PyTorch
- Built an MLP training framework from scratch with backpropagation on MNIST, then designed and ran custom experiments to evaluate model behavior.
- Investigated how regularization techniques (architectural and data/loss) influence data efficiency in deep models across custom datasets.
- Designed multi-modal VQA architectures for the VizWiz dataset, combining visual and textual inputs for binary classification and text generation challenges.
- Final project: developed a hybrid CNN-ViT model for chest X-ray pneumonia detection, combining CheXNet and MedViT with cross-attention fusion and Grad-CAM explainability — achieving 99.2% accuracy, outperforming standalone models and prior state-of-the-art.
CSCI 5622 — Machine Learning
Topics
KNN Linear & Logistic Regression Deep Neural Networks Explainable AI (LIME) Decision Trees & Random Forests PCA Clustering Ensemble Methods
Sample work
- Predicted patient survival using KNN classifiers on breast cancer data, optimizing distance metrics and K values.
- Built regression and classification models for oceanographic salinity prediction using feature correlation analysis.
- Compared FNNs and CNNs for CIFAR-10 image classification; used LIME for model interpretability.
- Predicted job hireability from physiological measures using Decision Trees and Random Forests, analyzing ethical implications.
- Implemented speech-based depression detection using XGBoost with SMOTE for class imbalance and bias mitigation.
CSCI 5854 — Theoretical Foundations of Autonomous Systems
Topics
Finite State Systems Reachability & Safety Transition Systems Temporal Logic (LTL, CTL) Model Checking Formal Verification
CSCI 5254 — Convex Optimization
Topics
Convex Sets & Functions Duality Theory Gradient Descent Newton's Method SOCP & SDP Robust Optimization
Sample work
- Formulated and solved constrained optimization problems using CVXPY with interior-point methods.
- Developed Lagrangian relaxation and duality-based solutions, implementing KKT conditions.
- Applied gradient and Newton's methods for large-scale convex problems, analyzing convergence rates.
- Implemented convex formulations for ML models including regression, classification, and structured prediction.
ASEN 5014 — Linear Control Design
Topics
State-Space Controllability & Observability Stability Analysis State Feedback & Observers LQR
Sample work
- Developed state-space models and evaluated controllability, observability, and stability properties.
- Designed and simulated state feedback controllers and observers in MATLAB for aerospace systems.
- Applied least squares and LQR optimization to enhance system performance.
- Modeled a quadcopter system with observer-based state estimation for real-time control.
CSCI 5722 — Computer Vision
Topics
Image Transforms Feature Detection Filtering CNNs ResNet U-Net Autoencoders GANs Transformers & ViT CLIP Diffusion Models Camera Models
ECEN 5612 — Random Processes
Topics
Probability Random Variables MMSE Estimation Gaussian Random Vectors Markov Processes Poisson & Wiener Processes Wiener Filtering Markov Chains
EMEN 5405 — Fundamentals of Systems Engineering
Topics
Systems Engineering Process Requirements Analysis Functional Analysis Trade Studies Risk Management IPPD
Group project designing a targeting system for the Phalanx Block 1B CIWS, integrating a sensor suite and display/control system to enhance target detection in various environmental conditions.
- Created functional and physical block diagrams, allocated requirements, and developed a specification compliance matrix.
- Conducted a technology readiness assessment, performed trade studies, and identified key performance measures.
- Developed a test plan, risk analysis, program schedule, and work breakdown structure.