Computer science researcher with over 20 years of industry experience in leading the development of cutting-edge prototypes and deployed systems across a diverse set of technical areas, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, instructional technology, game development, decision support systems, simulations, logistics and networking. Proven capability to generate innovative technical visions for solving client problems, lead successful proposal efforts to gain funding, and lead teams to achieve the vision. Deep experience in all aspects of project management, proposal management and software development, as well as in the design and execution of empirical research studies. Adapts to evolving circumstances, advocates agile approaches for ensuring success, and encourages high quality engineering practices on his teams. Enjoys working with diverse teams from different technical, industry and academia backgrounds, and loves the process of working with subject matter experts to learn about new domains.
While no longer researching in industry, I remain interested in investigating new ideas and approaches at the intersection of human and machine learning. These documents discuss some of my recent and ongoing research thoughts:
Let's Evolve Intelligence, Not Solutions
(Presented at the Genetic Programming Theory and Practice Workshop XX, East Lansing, MI. June 1 - 3.)
Defines innovative research visions and helps others create/refine their visions. Extensive experience in cultivating new customers, writing white papers and proposals to win competitive funding, and maintaining relationships with customers for continued funding. Successful capture of projects ranging from $100K for 6 months to $24 million for 4 years.
Principal investigator, technical lead and/or contributor on over 20 projects on intelligent systems, serious games, logistics, networking, optimization and more.
6 years of university teaching. 8 years of community-related teaching with children. Taught multiple courses and professional tutorials for teens and adults.
Ph.D. (2003), Computer Science, Queen's University at Kingston, ON
Professional training in project management, capture planning, proposal writing.
Strong writer and editor that works well both independently and with others on proposals, technical reports, scientific papers and manuscripts, as well as speculative fiction prose/poetry Over 80 publications (43 peer-reviewed). Publications
Extensive experience with Java. Experience with web/mobile development and many languages/frameworks/tools, e.g., Kotlin/Compose (including Multiplatform), C#/C++, Python, Flutter/Dart, Javascript, React.js, Node.js, Express, Spring Boot, .NET Core, Perl, Visual Basic, LISP, Prolog.
MERN stack, HTML/XHTML, CSS, JSON, Javascript, PHP, Ajax, Web services, Bootstrap, REST APIs, SQL, Firebase/Firestore, MongoDb.
Prompt Engineering (e.g., with Claude, GPT), Generative AI, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, LangChain, Pandas, Jupyter Notebook/Google Colaboratory, MATLAB
Unity, Flame (Flutter), HTML5, jMonkeyEngine, Delta3D, Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2)
2021 Challenge Winner, Climate Crisis AI Hackathon, Jan 22-24, 2021
2010 Outstanding Achievement in Modeling and Simulation for Training Award, National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA).
2009 Best Game Award, I/ITSEC Serious Games Showcase and Challenge.
Patent US 7,693653B2 issued April 6, 2010. Vehicle Routing and Path Planning, T. Hussain, R. Estrada, R.B. Lazarus, S.D. Milligan, G. Vidaver.
(See Teacher page for Teaching experience)
2019-date Independent Researcher, Montreal, QC.
Exploring three interrelated areas as an independent researcher. Multiple ideas and approaches identified, some implementations explored. One publication on potential methods for achieving general AI (Aug 2023).
Integrated AI-based and human-computation-based methods to rapidly create experiential instructional content, facilitate real-time, dynamic interactions and collaboration among students and teachers/mentors, and support rapid, continual assessment of learning outcomes. Most recently exploring ways to use generative AI to foster fluid, open-ended interactions.
Social networking methodologies for fostering deep experiences and strong connections between individuals rather than shallow one, with a focus on new multi-modal interaction modes, AI-enabled facilitation and assessment, and methods for generating and sharing experiences rather than just content. Emphasis on building collaboration infrastructure that intrinsically builds trust, diversity and collective authority rather than echo chambers and other limitations of current social networking interaction modes.
Principles and methods for achieving strong/general artificial intelligence, including a new research collaboration approach based on an “intelligence function”-oriented methodology rather than a solutions-oriented one.
2019-2020 Consultant, Montreal, QC.
Developed app using Flutter and provided consulting on business development for US-based music production studio.
2000-2018 Senior Scientist, BBN Technologies, Cambridge, MA.
Artificial Intelligence Group (2000-2008), Immersive Learning Technologies Group (2008-2014) and Intelligent Systems Design and Analytics Group (2015-2018)
Principal investigator, technical lead and/or technical contributor on 20+ projects on intelligent systems, serious games, logistics, decision support, networking, optimization and more. Led software teams using agile methods and large-scale software development methods. Managed project budget, interfaced with customers, and prepared project reports and deliverables. Performed business development by cultivating new customers, defining visions for new technical solutions to customer problems, building effective cross-disciplinary teams and writing winning proposals. Led and contributed to many white papers and proposals for other members of his research group. Participated in research communities through publications, workshops, conferences and tutorials.
1991-1999 Research Assistant, Robotics and Perception Laboratory, Queen’s Univ.
Supervised six undergraduate projects and participated in activities of the lab.
1996-1998 Research Scientist, Data Analysis Technologies, Kingston, ON
Developed automated trading system that used neural network and genetic algorithm technology to predict futures markets at start-up company.
1990, 1991 Knowledge Engineer (Summer Researcher), Artificial Intelligence Group, Canadian Workplace Automation Research Center, Laval, QC.
Developed a training tool for new employees that used intelligent tutoring system (ITS) and neural network technology.
2018 Researcher, Robust Operational Gateways Enabling Reachback/Reach-forward (ROGER) project, AFRL-sponsored
Contributed to team researching methods to connect disparate clients, services and networks via pluggable, configurable and composable gateways. Role involved developing prototype gateway plug-ins and configuring prototype gateways using the ROGER framework.
2016-2018 Principal Investigator, End-to-End Modeling 3 (ETEM 3) project, USTRANSCOM-sponsored
Developed methods to enhance the solution quality and efficiency of the Analysis of Mobility Platform (AMP) military logistics planning system. Approaches researched included automated iterative airlift schedule repair methods, specific algorithmic enhancements and parallel computing techniques for improving the quality of solve for airlift and sealift planning/scheduling with minimal runtime cost. Novel mixed-initiative mission-editing capabilities were researched to enable human analysts to specify and/or direct iterative schedule solution enhancements.
2015-2018 Feature Lead, Analysis of Mobility Platform (AMP) project, USTRANSCOM-sponsored
Led efforts to transition capabilities from End-to-End Modeling 1, 2 and 3 research efforts, and created new customer-requested features in the AMP software.
Role involved leading the development, hardening and testing efforts of a team of five developers and testers, operating within a large-scale software development environment. Multiple capabilities were successfully transitioned into active use with the AMP software.
2014-2016 Principal Investigator, End-to-End Modeling 2 (ETEM 2) project, USTRANSCOM-sponsored.
Designed and prototyped meta-heuristic search capabilities, including multi-objective optimization methods, to optimize context-sensitive business rules and scheduling performance for the Analysis of Mobility Platform (AMP) military logistics planning system. Designed and prototyped algorithms for enhancing the robustness of AMP schedules.
Role involved leading the design and development efforts of a team of four developers and two subcontractors, preparing reports, presentations and deliverables for the customer, and participating in customer briefings.
2012-2014 Serious Game Designer, Proof by Games project, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsored.
Contributed to the design of a game that used crowd-sourcing to enable non-experts to verify that software source code did not have security flaws.
Role involved working with math and security experts to identify the proof capabilities that could be supported in the game, and guiding the game design to meet long-term project objectives.
2013-2014 Algorithm Designer/Developer, End-to-End Modeling (ETEM) project, USTRANSCOM-sponsored.
Role involved designing and implementing a configurable constraint-based airlift scheduling algorithm to support an improved heuristic search capability within AMP, as well as developing a genetic algorithm-based optimization algorithm to tune the performance of the search.
2013 Designer, Emic Training to Improve Cross Cultural Prediction project, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) sponsored.
Contributed to the narrative design of a game-based experience to facilitate cross-cultural training through the vicarious experience of being or living as a member of the target culture, rather than by the more traditional approach of systematic external analysis of the target culture.
2012-2013 Principal Investigator, Methodologies for Training and Assessing Adaptability project, Office of Naval Research (ONR) sponsored.
Defined a process-based framework for assessing key adaptability skills of small unit Marine leaders.
Role involved defining the technical vision, managing one subcontractor, leading the research and preparing reports.
2012 Lead Investigator, VESSEL Damage Control Trainer Enhancement project, Navy-sponsored under subcontract to Alion Science and Technology.
Enhanced the VESSEL Damage Control Trainer to use the latest version of the VITAL authoring tool, hardened and tested all missions. Final game was delivered and deployed at the Recruit Training Command.
2011-2012 Co-Principal Investigator, Mentally Engaging Training for Analytic Thinking (MENTAT) project, IARPA-sponsored.
Investigated game-based techniques to train improved decision-making and reduce cognitive biases in intelligence community analysts. The Visual Tool for Authoring Learning (VITAL) was enhanced and used to develop two games – one to mitigate confirmation bias and one to mitigate fundamental attribution error. A novel set of algorithms for assessing player engagement, motivation, arousal and flow in games using physiological sensors was developed. A large-scale effectiveness study was conducted.
Role involved (together with fellow co-PI) defining the technical vision, designing the pedagogical methods used in the games, coordinating the technical and research efforts of seven subcontractors/ consultants and an internal team of eight researchers and developers, preparing technical reports and interacting with the customer.
2011 Lead Designer, First Response Electrical Vehicle Training Game prototype. General Motors-sponsored.
Produced a prototype web-based game for training fire fighters on first response procedures for an accident involving an electric automobile. Instructional content was developed using the VITAL tool.
2008-2011 Principal Investigator, Virtual Environments for Ship and Shore Experiential Learning (VESSEL) project, ONR-sponsored.
Created and deployed the VESSEL Damage Control Trainer game to enhance training of Navy recruits. It has been in active use at the U.S., Navy Recruit Training Command since 2010, training over 35,000 recruits a year. Article
Advanced the state of understanding of the design issues and learning science of game-based training through over 25 empirical and analytic studies.
Developed VITAL, an open-source pedagogy authoring tool released on sourceforge.com, to facilitate rapid development and repeatable creation of effective, low-cost training and assessment products for the U.S. Navy. Available at Sourceforge.
Team won the NTSA 2010 Outstanding Achievement in Modeling and Simulation for Training Award. VESSEL won the award for Best Game (Business Category) in the 2009 Serious Games Showcase and Challenge, and won a Training Magazine 2010 Outstanding Initiatives Award.
Role involved defining the technical vision, managing six subcontractors and an internal team of five designers and developers, guiding the agile development process, and interacting with customers/subject matter experts.
2006-2007 Development Lead, Plan Order Induction by Reasoning from One Trial (POIROT) project, DARPA-sponsored.
Applied a broad range of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to learn procedural knowledge based on a single observation of a human performing a medical evacuation planning task.
Role involved working closely with the Principal Investigator to manage the development activities of twelve subcontractors and an internal team of seven developers, managing and participating in the design and development of semantic web-based services, and performing knowledge acquisition activities with an Army expert in medical evacuation procedures.
2006 Researcher, Social and Cultural Analysis and Learning Environment for Urban Pre- and Post-operations (SCALE-UP) project, DARPA-sponsored
Contributed to the design of a multi-level framework for using human behavior models to control characters in a simulation/game and enable them to interact meaningfully with each other, the environment and human players.
2005-2006 Cognitive Architect, Adaptive Dynamic Radio Open-source Intelligent Team (ADROIT) project, DARPA-sponsored.
Role involved designing the cognitive control architecture for a reconfigurable network based upon software defined radios.
2005 Researcher, Survival Policy-Influenced Networking: Disruption Tolerance through Learning & Evolution (SPINDLE) project, DARPA-sponsored
Role involved investigating the use of genetic programming to evolve routing rules for a disruption-tolerant communication network.
2004-2005 Principal Investigator, Gorman’s Gambit project, DARPA-sponsored.
Validated that modern multi-player game technology can be used to provide effective training of human soldiers on teamwork skills.
Role involved managing the efforts of two subcontractors, developing the game, and overseeing an empirical study.
2004 Principal Investigator, Advocates and Critics for the Tactical Behaviors (ACTB) project, Army Research Lab (ARL) sponsored.
Developed a patented algorithm that uses a domain-dependent genetic algorithm to produce realistic and effective real-time tactical responses to opposing agents while balancing multiple competing tactical objectives.
Role involved interacting with the customer and designing/developing the algorithm with another developer.
2002-2003 Lead Investigator, Colonies of Neural Networks project, DARPA-sponsored.
Applied genetic algorithms, neural networks and attribute grammars for the representation and evolution of complex neural network solutions to a battlefield course-of-action prediction problem.
Role involved designing, developing and testing the algorithm, preparing technical reports and giving presentations to the customer.
2001-2003 Designer/Developer on Vishnu, BBN's reconfigurable scheduling software
Developed and enhanced Vishnu over several Department of Defense sponsored projects to produce a web-based, automated scheduling system whose data formats, scheduling logic, and displays could be reconfigured for different problems and domains without writing any new code.
2003 Developer, Ultra*Log project, DARPA-sponsored
Transitioned developments from the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Unit of Action Supportability project to the Ultra*Log system.
2003 Designer/Developer, Future Combat Systems (FCS) Unit of Action Supportability project, Army-sponsored
Applied genetic algorithms to the problem of scheduling fuel distribution for moving combat vehicles.
2000-2001 Lead Developer, Salamander project, DARPA-sponsored.
Applied evolutionary computation to the problem of optimizing the topology of a computer network in order to maintain quality-of-service.