Homepage for Dirk Padfield

From 2014 to 2018, I worked as a Senior Research Scientist at Amazon. I designed ML and image analysis algorithms for detecting and removing inappropriate and offensive images on the retail website. I also served as a lecturer for the Amazon Machine Learning University.

Before that, I worked as a Senior Research Scientist in the Biomedical Image Analysis Lab at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, NY from 2002 to 2014. I worked primarily in the area of image analysis, and my research interests included segmentation, tracking, classification, and registration algorithms. I developed extensive expertise in biological image analysis, inventing novel algorithms for segmenting and tracking cells and automatically analyzing their behavior. In addition to microscopy and molecular pathology, I worked on the medical modalities of Ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET as well as industrial inspection and surveillance applications.

In 2014, I also served as adjunct faculty at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, teaching a class on biomedical image analysis.

I earned my Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2009 in the research group of Professor Badrinath Roysam at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

I earned my Master's in Electrical Engineering in 2002 in the research group of Professor William Higgins at the Pennsylvania State University.

I earned Bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering and International Studies in 2000 at the Pennsylvania State University.

Professional Service:

I served on the organizing committees of the ISBI 2015, ISBI 2016, and ISBI 2019 conferences. I also served on the Steering Committee of the Transactions on Medical Imaging journal. I serve as a reviewer for a range of journals and conferences.

Personal:

I was born in Alaska and moved with my family to Norway when I was a year old. We moved to Pennsylvania 12 years later to be closer to extended family. I completed a year of voluntary religious service at the Baha'i World Center in Israel before starting my undergraduate degree at Penn State. For my second year of undergraduate work, I studied abroad in Egypt at the American University in Cairo where I focused on studying Arabic. During the summer after completing my Master's degree in Electrical Engineering in 2002, I worked as a research scientist in Taiwan. I currently live and work in Seattle, Washington. I am a member of the Baha'i Faith (international Baha'i website and US Baha'i website).