About Me

Hey, I’m Connor. I am a PhD candidate working in Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition at the University of Florida, advised by Dr. Alina Zare. My current research interests include target detection and scene understanding using imprecise, uncertain and ambiguously labeled data, specifically, through the utilization of manifold learning.

I have been blessed during my graduate studies to be funded by the Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) and Office of Naval Research (ONR). Throughout my PhD work, I have been able to explore areas such as sensor fusion, background modeling, dictionary learning, target detection/classification, manifold learning, and learning from weakly-labeled data.

Before moving to Florida, I completed a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics at Oklahoma State University (go Pokes!).

Outside of Machine Learning, I enjoy blogging about coffee, crossfit, road cycling, playing guitar for my church, and spending time with my twin brother.

Honors and Awards

  • Wilson and Marie Collins Endowment for Graduate Fellowship (2019)

  • University of Florida Graduate School Student of the Week (October 2018)

  • University of Florida Graduate School Preeminence Award (2017)

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Electrical and Computer Engineering

    University of Florida (A.B.E.T.)

    Concentration in Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition

    August 2017 - Present

  • Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering (minor in Mathematics)

    Oklahoma State University (A.B.E.T.)

    Concentration in Communications, Controls, and Signal Processing

    January 2015 - May 2017

    Cum Laude

  • Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering (Unawarded)

    Missouri University of Science and Technology (A.B.E.T.)

    August 2013 - December 2014