Amit Hasan is a first-year Ph.D. student in Computer Science and Engineering and a first-year member of the 2022-2023 John Lof cohort. His research interests lie in scaling down resource-intensive data simulations to smaller devices and deep machine learning.

These data simulations use a lot of power and are done on extremely large computers. If it could be scaled down to the size of a smartphone, then it could be revolutionary.

Deep learning is when a machine uses automated learning to dig through multiple layers of a system. ‘Deep’ is a reference to how the machine tries to grasp higher-level concepts, e.x. Using lower layers like individual colors to identify a whole object. 

It’s ambitious, but Hasan is no stranger to taking initiative. During his Bachelor’s at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, he immediately took to participating in robotics competitions and workshops.

He won third place in the International Robotics Challenge and became an instructor for some of the workshops. Hasan wanted to create a space where programming and robotics could be integrated. 

“I used to make the whole robot myself, designing the hardware, software, and electronics. 

At the university, people are doing these things, but they had little knowledge of programming. So, I got together with my friends and tried to show others how to do stuff,” Hasan said.

There, Hasan discussed motor controls, electronic driver circuits, and more with newcomers. He took to teaching because he felt that when he was a student, teachers could have done more to engage him. Students should actually be learning something, he said. 

After his undergraduate, Hasan ventured out to Japan, where he was employed as an Artificial Intelligence Engineer at Hiperdyne Corporation. He loved traveling and amateur photography.

Hasan browsed for a Ph.D. after the position. He said that he settled on UConn because of the high-quality quality research. During his application, he found out about John Lof when searching for communities at UConn.

Hasan is now certified in Coursera’s A.I. Deep Learning specialization. He also does coding problems in different languages and side projects, like optimizing algorithms for robot movement. 

“I found that it was about leadership and wanted to try it. I think another reason is like, when I was doing my job in Japan, I was dissatisfied with the working environment. I started to consciously think about how leadership should be, and how to motivate the other engineers,” Hasan said. 

Hasan’s definition of leadership now: Making people believe in moving towards a common goal in an organized environment.