Behnam Rahdari

Ph.D. Candidate / Graduate Research Assistant

Resume Last Update: 05/31/2024


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My passion lies at the overlap of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the challenge of integrating the two fields. Currently, I'm pursuing my Ph.D. as a candidate at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information, under the guidance of Dr. Peter Brusilovsky, head of the PAWS Lab.

My research focuses on building and evaluating user-centric and intelligent search and recommender systems. I design solutions that integrate AI algorithms with user-friendly interfaces, aiming to bridge the gap between advanced AI technologies and their practical applications. This approach reflects my commitment to making these technologies accessible and beneficial for everyone in everyday contexts.

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Education

  • ► Ph.D. in Information Science

    2019 - Now

    University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Thesis: Human-AI Collaboration in Search and Recommendation
  • ► M.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering

    2014 - 2017

    Polytechnic University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Thesis: Event-Based User Profiling in Social Media Using Data Mining Approaches

Experience

► Applied Scientist Intern, AWS AI Labs

Amazon, Santa Clara, USA | Jun 2023 - August 2023

Activities: Developed 'Logic-Scaffolding,' an LLM-driven pipeline that provides ad hoc, personalized, and robust explanations for recommendations across various RS models, regardless of their complexity.

► Graduate Research Assistant

University of Pittsburgh, USA | 2019 - Present

Activities: Conducted research on data-driven fashion and travel, analyzing large volumes of social media data to identify patterns related to fashion and tourism events. Collaborated with designers at the School of Design to develop customized fashion entity recognition models.

► Research Fellow

Politecnico di Milano, Italy | May 2017 - Aug 2017

Activities: Conducted research on data-driven fashion and travel. Analyzed large amounts of social media data to identify patterns in fashion and tourism-related events. Collaborated with designers in the School of Design to build customized fashion entity recognition models.

► Senior Software Developer

Sabzafraz Zagros | Jan 2009 - Mar 2011

Activities: Managed a software development team focusing on building web apps for small business financing.