Researchers

Dr. James Stroud is an Elizabeth Smithgall Watts Early Career Assistant Professor of School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. He earned a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Florida International University. He is an integrative evolutionary ecologist who investigates how ecological and evolutionary processes may underlie patterns of biological diversity at the macro-scale.

He primarily studies lizards and his research is highly multidisciplinary, combining field studies with macro-ecological and evolutionary comparative analyses. Stroud’s current interests are particularly focused on measuring natural selection in the wild, often taking advantage of non-native lizards as natural experiments in ecology and evolution.

In 2024, he was named an Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America. He joins the ranks of nine newly appointed ESA Fellows and ten 2024–2028 ESA Early Career Fellows, elected for “advancing the science of ecology and showing promise for continuing contributions” and recently confirmed by the organization’s Governing Board. He was also awarded the prestigious Founder’s Prize by the British Ecological Society (BES), the largest scientific society for ecologists in Europe.

Dr. Jeffery Cannon is a Landscape Ecologist at the Jones Center at Ichauway. His lab focuses on landscape ecology of forest disturbance and restoration in pine systems of the U.S. and emphasizes technology application in forestry and natural resources. Current projects include (1) quantifying hurricane risk to forest resources through multi-scale studies of wind risk, (2) understanding overstory drivers of forest dynamics in longleaf and related systems, and (3) research to improve restoration outcomes in ponderosa pine and longleaf pine forests. Jeff holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Mississippi State University (2009), an M.S. in Biology from the University of Mississippi (2011), and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Georgia (2015).

Bree Shi is a fourth year PhD student studying Bioinformatics with Minors in Machine Learning and Higher education. She holds many prestigious awards such as the following: The GEM Ph.D Engineering and Science Fellowship Issued by The National GEM Consortium, STEM Diversity PhD Fellowship Issued by Graduate Fellowships for STEM Diversity, GAANN Biology Fellowship Issued by U.S. Department of Education. Before becoming a PhD student at Georgia Tech, Bree earned her master’s in Mathematics from University of Minnesota where she earned Diversity of Views and Experiences Fellowship and her Mathematics BS degree at Stetson University.

John HaGood graduated from Georgia Tech in 2017 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, concentrating in Operations Research.

Throughout his career, he has specialized in simulation and optimization, with a strong focus on data manipulation. He began the OMSCS program in Spring 2024 and joined HAAG in Spring 2025. In addition to his work, John serves as a teaching assistant for the OMSCS Game AI course.

In his free time, he enjoys exploring the unique and diverse natural environment of his corner of Florida—an experience he’s been able to enrich further by combining his analytical skills with his passion for the outdoors as part of this project.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hagood-01364733/

Passionate in leveraging geospatial development and analysis to address urban & environmental challenges.

Portfolio: https://sites.google.com/view/fyangportfolio/home

 

Avish Parmar graduated from Stony Brook University in May 2023 with a B.S. in Computer Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. He has previously interned at Google and Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he worked as an AI researcher and is a co-author of a paper in the field of Explainable AI.

Avish began his career at Deloitte in September 2024, where he currently serves as a Software Engineer, contributing to a range of AI-driven solutions for both internal tools and external clients. He joined the OMSCS program in January 2024, and Summer 2025 marks his first semester with HAAG.

In his free time, Avish enjoys hiking, playing darts with his roommate, reading up on the latest advancements in the field, and going on scenic drives, among other interests.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avishparmar/

Luis Rodriguez recently graduated from the OMSCS program at Georgia Tech, where he specialized in areas such as Machine Learning and Big Data.

He currently works in the automotive industry, focusing on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) camera functions. His role involves analyzing system behavior, identifying root causes of issues, and implementing software fixes.

As part of the research group, Luis will be contributing to a project focused on vegetation analysis using LiDAR data. Outside of work, he enjoys taking walks, hiking, and watching documentaries.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisrogo1/

Ali Sean Khan is a Senior Research Assistant at the University of Hertfordshire, under Dr Williams. His work involves projects at the intersection of AI and digital safety. Khan’s primary focus is PULSE (Profile Unmasking and Linking Software Engine), centering on author attribution in short texts to support law enforcement. His research also addresses ethics in AI within policing through BEAT (Baseline Ethical Assessment Tool), which aims to enhance investigative efficiency and accountability.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliseankhan/

Alex Hind has been working through the OMSCS program since August 2023. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Robotics, with prior research experience in the field of robotics.

In his free time, Alex enjoys hiking and playing video games.

Andrew Wilder has a background in machine learning and AI and is currently a contractor at NASA, where he supports the development of AI systems—most recently in the medical domain.

His interests and prior research lie in remote sensing and Earth science. He is a co-author on a publication in Nature Water, having contributed data cleaning and analysis for a study on aquifer depletion in central Italy. Deeply passionate about remote sensing and machine learning, Andrew actively seeks opportunities to grow in this field, even volunteering his personal time to collaborate with atmospheric scientists at NASA. He also hopes to expand his knowledge into the hardware side of the domain in the future.

A fun fact: Andrew plays on the league champion team in his local adult volleyball league.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwildr/

Shruti is currently working as a Senior Simulation Intelligence Scientist at Pasteur Labs. Prior to this, she obtained a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin in 2024 and worked as a Senior CAE Engineer at Tesla in the crash simulation and occupant protection team.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shruti-motiwale-06468a80/