Ask Us Anything: Generative AI Edition

Douglas C. Schmidt is a Professor of Computer Science, Associate Chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Program, and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems, all at Vanderbilt University. He has also been the Chief Technology Officer for the SEI, where he was responsible for directing the technical vision and strategic research and development investments.

Schmidt has published 10 books and more than 500 technical papers on software-related topics, including patterns, optimization techniques, and empirical analyses of object-oriented frameworks and domain-specific modeling environments that facilitate the development of distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) middleware and mission-critical applications running over data networks and embedded system interconnects.

Rachel Dzombak is Advisor to the Executive Director in the SEI’s AI Division. She was previously a Technical Director focused on digital transformation and helped to lead the SEI’s AI engineering efforts. Dzombak’s background is in engineering systems and human-centered design. Before joining the SEI, she was an Innovation Fellow and a member of the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, where she helped define and advance the field of development engineering. Dzombak holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Jasmine Ratchford joined the SEI as a Machine Learning Research Scientist in 2022. Jasmine received her a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin. Jasmine has worked at various institutions and government agencies, including the Institute for Defense Analyses and the Department of Homeland Security Intelligence and Analysis Office. At the SEI, Jasmine helped with the Mayflower project, which focuses on applications for large language models for U.S. Government challenges.

Matthew Walsh is a Senior Data Scientist in the CERT Division of the SEI. His research centers on leveraging AI to enhance cybersecurity and usher in novel warfighter capabilities. Among his recent undertakings, Matthew has applied machine learning (ML) to deepfake detection, he has used ML to create in-depth defenses against advanced persistent threats, and developed ML algorithms to extract actionable intelligence from data captured via cyber-physical systems. Matthew earned a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University.

Shing-hon Lau is an AI Security Researcher in the CERT Division of the SEI, where he investigates the intersection between cybersecurity, AI, and ML. His research interests include rigorous testing of AI systems, building secure and trustworthy ML systems, and understanding the links between cybersecurity and adversarial ML threats.

Prior to joining the , Lau obtained his PhD in Machine Learning in 2018 from Carnegie Mellon University. His doctoral work focused on the application of keystroke dynamics, or the study of keyboard typing rhythms, for authentication, insider-threat detection, and healthcare.