🌐 Collaboration

Current status (updated as of 03/06/2026): I am open to selective external collaborations on research, startup advising, and community service, with a focus on high-impact and technically deep projects.

Many teams work with me not only for technical input, but for ecosystem access, trusted signal, and execution leverage. I help connect the right people, sharpen strategy, and move high-impact work forward.

Why collaborate with me

  • Network and convening power: community reach includes 3000+ U.S. CS PhD members and 1000+ computer science professors.
  • Cross-sector operating experience: industry exposure across Siemens, PwC, Norton, Microsoft, and a stealth startup, including financing, operations, and hiring participation.
  • Credibility that transfers: strong open-source, funding, and service track records help partners gain trust faster.
  • Execution leverage: I help teams prioritize, structure milestones, and convert ideas into visible outcomes.
  • Impact orientation: focus on collaborations that create durable value for products, teams, and the broader ecosystem.

Industry and Startup Collaboration

I work with product and leadership teams on strategic direction, collaboration design, and high-leverage execution for AI initiatives.

  • Open to: part-time advising, strategy sprints, and targeted collaboration with founders, product leads, and research leads.
  • Relevant experience: worked with/at Siemens, PwC, Norton, Microsoft, and a stealth startup, with direct involvement in financing operations and recruiting.
  • Typical output: clearer collaboration roadmap, key introductions, and actionable next steps tied to measurable goals.

Academic Research Collaboration

I collaborate on projects where combined teams can create outsized impact, from publications to shared infrastructure and open-source outcomes.

  • Open to: paper-level and project-level collaboration with faculty, students, and industry research labs.
  • Relevant experience: USC CS faculty role, active PI portfolio, and broad collaboration across research communities.
  • Best fit: teams aiming for both scholarly quality and practical impact.

Open-Source and Ecosystem Impact

My open-source products are used broadly in both academia and industry, helping collaboration outcomes scale beyond a single team.

  • Adoption scale: 35M+ downloads and 22K+ GitHub stars across projects.
  • Enterprise usage: products are used by teams at Tesla, Microsoft, and Amazon.
  • Collaboration benefit: partners gain faster distribution, stronger credibility, and higher downstream impact.

Conference and Journal Collaboration

I am open to community collaborations that raise quality standards and create lasting field-level impact.

  • Open to: co-organizing workshops/tracks/challenges and selected editorial initiatives.
  • Relevant experience: AC/SPC service across ICLR/ICML/NeurIPS/AAAI/KDD and editorial roles at TAIS, TNNLS, and DMLR.
  • Preference: programs with strong teams, clear goals, and broad community benefit.

For a full background summary, see CV / Resume and Publications.