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Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Unified Framework for the Competing Constraints in Federated Learning Principal investigator: Virginia Smith CMU will focus on federated learning systems with competing constraints, such as accuracy, fairness, robustness, and privacy. CMU will investigate statistical heterogeneity as a root cause for tension between these constraints. In particular, CMU will tackle heterogeneity via a unified framework for robust, privacy-preserving multi-task learning — unlocking a new generation of FL systems that can holistically address the constraints of realistic federated networks.

December 10, 2020

Smith Joins Private AI Collaborative Research Institute

Collaborative Research Institute will Fund Nine Research Projects.

By Roberto Iriondo

Byron Spice
  • Director of Media Relations
  • 412-268-9068

Virginia Smith, an assistant professor in the Machine Learning and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments, has been selected by the Private AI Collaborative Research Institute, formed by Intel, Avast, and Borsetta to advance and develop technologies in privacy and trust for decentralized artificial intelligence (AI).

Established initially by Intel's University Research and Collaboration Office, the Private AI Collaborative Research Institute, now joined by Avast and Borsetta, aims to collaborate on novel research developing decentralized AI technology focused on privacy and trust. The institute has funded nine research projects among eight universities worldwide.

The award will fund one doctoral student for three years and support Smith's efforts to develop federated learning systems that address competing constraints, such as fairness, robustness, and privacy, as part of the multi-university collaborative initiative. To learn more about the initiative, please visit the Private AI Collaborative Research Institute announcement by Intel.

Before joining Carnegie Mellon, Smith received her B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Virginia, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California Berkeley.

Earlier this year, Smith received the Facebook Research Towards On-Device AI Research Award.

For More Information

Byron Spice | 412-268-9068 | bspice@cs.cmu.edu