PhD Candidate at the Robotics Institute
I'm Nick, a PhD student at the Robotics Institute (RI). My research home is the Auton Lab, where I am advised by Artur Dubrawski. Much of my work falls under the purview of Explainable Artificial Intelligence.
In order for AI to truly impact society (and to maximize the chances that this impact is positive) we need to make AI tools and techniques accessible to everyone. I focus on finding ways to communicate outcomes to end-users regardless of their knowledge of data science. I strongly believe that a goal of AI should be to augment human cognitive abilities, even in cases where we aim for full automation.
During my time at the RI, I have had the opportunity to lead our department's graduate student organization, RoboOrg. My personal mission is to strengthen our sense of community through shared experiences. To that end, I have organized many different events ranging from informal "random cookie hours" to robot building competitions. In my experience, cultivating an inclusive and supportive community increases student engagement with their peers and their department.