Upcoming Seminars

Speaker

Dr. John D. Martin, Adjunct Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta and Research Fellow at OpenMind Research Institute, hosted by Dr. Michael Bowling

Title

Artifacts as Memory Beyond the Agent Boundary

Abstract
Natural agents respond competently to problems that require resources beyond their cognitive abilities, in part because they leverage their environment for additional support. While natural agents are enabled by environmental resources, artificial agents are ostensibly bound by their individual system resources. In reinforcement learning (RL), an agent's system resources are established at design-time, and computational supply is commonly assumed to remain fixed throughout operation. In this paper, we show that RL agents can exploit environment dynamics as a form of additional memory, in situ. Specifically, we show that when RL agents can observe spatial paths, the amount of memory required to learn a performant policy is reduced. Although prior work from philosophy and artificial intelligence has theorized about such effects, we provide what we believe to be the first empirical report showing that computational RL agents externalize memory. Interestingly, this effect is experienced unintentionally and entirely through the agent's sensory stream. 

Presenter Bio
John Martin is a Research Fellow at the Openmind Research Institute and an Adjunct Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. John studies core topics in artificial intelligence with a focus on agentic phenomena and reinforcement learning. John was a Research Scientist at Intel Labs until 2024; he completed a post-doc at the University of Alberta in 2022, and he earned his PhD from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2021. During his studies, John spent time at Columbia University, Google Brain, and DeepMind. Prior to his graduate studies, John designed autonomous flight control systems for experimental helicopters at Sikorsky Aircraft.

Website

John D. Martin

Timing & Location

UComm Seminar Room 2-108

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

Add event

Speaker

Dr. Blair Attard-Frost, Amii Fellow & Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Alberta

Title

Collective Resistance in AI Governance Systems

Abstract
The governance of AI has become a strategic imperative for government and industry. However, communities and workers who are vulnerable to societal impacts of AI are often pushed to the margins of policymaking, regulatory development, and other AI governance initiatives. How do marginalized groups oppose AI governance when it fails to serve their interests? 

This talk will address that question by drawing on sociological theory, empirical data from my research, and lessons learned from real-world cases of collective organizing against AI governance initiatives in Canada. I will show: (1) AI governance is a social system co-created by interdependent networks of actors, resources, logics, and power structures; (2) collective resistance emerges in AI governance systems as a response to resource constraints and structural injustices; (3) communities use a variety of organizational strategies to resist top-down AI governance systems led by industry and state power, while also building smaller-scale governance systems from the bottom up.

Presenter Bio
Blair Attard-Frost is an Amii Fellow and Assistant Professor in the University of Alberta's Department of Political Science. She completed her PhD in Information Studies, Master of Information (MI), and Honours Bachelor of Arts (HBA) at University of Toronto. Blair's research applies a trans feminist lens to address challenges of power, participation, and justice in the governance of artificial intelligence. Her recent research appears in academic journals such as Big Data & Society, Government Information Quarterly, and AI and Ethics. Her insights on AI governance are featured in Canadian and international outlets such as CBC News: The National, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, BetaKit, and Tech Policy Press. In a bygone era, Blair worked on digital transformation and business development projects in the Government of Ontario and Toronto's AI startup community.

Website
Blair Attard-Frost

Timing & Location

Amii HQ 2nd floor event space (10065 Jasper Ave)

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

Add event

Speaker

Dr. Rodrigo A. Vargas-Hernandez, Assistant Professor, McMaster University, hosted by Dr. Terry Blaskovits

Title

Everything but the Kitchen Sink: Optimization and Inverse Design of Quantum Systems

Abstract
In this seminar from the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute and the Department of Computing Science, Rodrigo A. Vargas-Hernández, Assistant Professor at McMaster University, explains that machine learning extends far beyond regression and classification and can serve as a powerful framework for optimization and inverse design in quantum systems.

He will present three works that illustrate how modern ML tools can be leveraged to design, calibrate, and simulate quantum systems. First, Bayesian optimization and automatic differentiation are used to calibrate physical models in quantum transport problems, including retinal photoisomerization and quantum heat transfer devices, enabling data-efficient optimization of expensive simulations while integrating experimental observables directly into the learning loop.

Finally, flow-based generative modeling is introduced as a mechanism to accelerate quantum simulation workflows. Flow matching is used in a meta-learning framework to predict near-optimal variational parameters for quantum circuits, reducing the need for costly gradient-based optimization of gate angles. Complementarily, GFlowNets are employed to generate efficient groupings of Hamiltonian operators, lowering the number of measurements required on quantum hardware.

Together, these works illustrate how a broad spectrum of machine learning methodologies — “everything but the kitchen sink” — can be integrated into a unified framework for optimization and inverse design in quantum systems.

Presenter Bio
Dr. Rodrigo A. Vargas-Hernández is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at McMaster University, where he leads the ChemAI-Lab, a research group focused on the integration of artificial intelligence with quantum chemistry and materials science.

He earned his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, pioneering the use of machine learning algorithms to accelerate simulations of complex physical systems. He holds a bachelor's degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Dr. Vargas-Hernández completed postdoctoral fellowships under the mentorship of Professor P. Brumer and Professor A. Aspuru-Guzik at the University of Toronto/Vector Institute. His interdisciplinary research bridges quantum chemistry, machine learning, and materials discovery.

Dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge and education, he is passionate about inspiring the next generation of scientists. Outside the lab, he enjoys cycling and exploring the world of coffee.

Website
Chem.AI Lab

Timing & Location

UComm Seminar Room 2-108

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

Add event

Speaker

Dr. Ross Mawhorter, Postdoctoral Scholar at the UofA, supervised by Dr. Matthew Guzdial

Title

TBA

Abstract
TBA

Presenter Bio
TBA

Timing & Location

UComm Seminar Room 2-108

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

TBA

Speaker

Rohan Saha, PhD student, University of Alberta, supervised by Dr. Alona Fyshe

Title

TBA

Abstract
TBA

Presenter Bio
TBA

Timing & Location

UComm Seminar Room 2-108

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

TBA

NO SEMINAR - Good Friday

Speaker

Dr. Bahareh Tolooshams, Amii Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at the University of Alberta

Title

TBA

Abstract
TBA

Presenter Bio
TBA

Timing & Location

Amii HQ 2nd floor event space (10065 Jasper Ave)

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

TBA

Speaker

TBA

Speaker

TBA

Speaker

TBA

Speaker

Dr. Liam McCoy, Neurology Resident Physician, University of Alberta, and Research Affiliate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hosted by Dr. Randy Goebel

Title

TBA

Abstract
TBA

Presenter Bio
TBA

Timing & Location

UComm Seminar Room 2-108

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

TBA

Speaker

Jiamin He, PhD student at the University of Alberta, supervised by Dr. Martha White

Title

TBA

Abstract
TBA

Presenter Bio
TBA

Timing & Location

UComm Seminar Room 2-108

pizza from 11:30, seminar from noon to 1

Add event to calendar

TBA

NO SEMINAR - Upper Bound

Speaker

TBA