Virtual and CREOL: CROL-103

Title: Pushing the Limits of Imaging and Display using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract: My research harnesses machine learning to re-imagine how we approach the design, engineering and analysis of optical systems.

In this seminar, I will first highlight my Ph.D. research in the field of super-resolution optical microscopy. I will present a suite of techniques that enable tiny biological structures to be captured with a resolution superior to the diffraction limit. In discussing this work, I will pay particular attention to the central role of statistical inference and data analysis in constructing super-resolution images and developing novel 3D bio-imaging capabilities.

In the second part of my talk, I will introduce a nanophotonic technology termed optical metasurfaces. These thin, nearly transparent structures can mimic conventional optics such as lenses and can be mass-produced using well-established nanofabrication processes. I will show how deep learning concepts such as the backpropagation algorithm can be re-purposed to discover top-performing metasurface designs and realize unconventional applications such as an "all-optical" neural network. The underlying physical modeling techniques used to develop such systems may be applied to address scaling issues associated with both classical and quantum optical computing platforms.

Finally, I will present my most recent work developing simulation software for the design of an augmented reality (AR) display. I will discuss my experience deploying machine learning toolsets to address longstanding high-performance computing challenges in an industry setting.

Bio: Adam Backer is a senior machine learning scientist at Apple contributing to the next generation of wearable augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) display technology. Prior to joining Apple, Adam was a Harry S. Truman Fellow and later a Senior Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Labs. Adam received his Ph.D. in Computational and Mathematical Engineering from Stanford in 2016, where he performed his doctoral research in the lab of W. E. Moerner and was supported by an NDSEG fellowship. Adam holds an M.Phil. in Engineering from Cambridge University (2009), and a B.S. in Engineering and Physics from Brown University (2008).

Virtual Location URL: https://ucf.zoom.us/j/95780562497