Curriculum Vitae

General Information

Full Name Christopher Stephen Nielsen
Contact csnielse [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Research Areas

  • My research interests primarily involve developing machine learning tools for ophthalmology, with a focus on building interpretable models for clinical use.
  • I am also interested in federated learning and the challenges associated with preserving privacy when developing machine learning models that train on sensitive patient data.

Education

  • 2017 - 2019
    University of Calgary – MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering
    • Supervised by Dr. Michal Okoniewski
    • Thesis: Improving Image Classification Through Generative Data Augmentation
    • GPA: 4.0 (4.0 scale)
  • 2012 - 2016
    University of Calgary - BSc in Applied Mathematics
    • GPA: 3.82 (4.0 scale)

Work Experience

  • 2017 - 2021
    Data Scientist at Getty Images
    • Developed machine learning architectures for image analysis and search ranking
    • Designed statistical models for processing large scale customer data
    • Contributed to the implementation of an AWS based big data pipeline
  • 2015 - 2016
    Algorithm Engineer at Appropolis
    • Developed computer vision algorithms for multiple target tracking inside crowded indoor environments
    • Combined video processing and WiFi measurements in software framework for indoor positioning applications
    • Integrated 3D processing from the Microsoft Kinect sensor with other tracking technologies to provide 6DOF positioning for indoor environments
  • 2012
    Research Assistant at the University of Calgary
    • Developed stereoscopic tracking software for analysis and diagnosis of sleep apnea
  • Summer 2011
    Junior Research Assistant at the University of Calgary
    • Contributed to project involving the minimization of required temporal data for GPS localization

Teaching Experience

  • Winter 2020
    Sessional Instructor for ENEL 625 - Estimation Theory
    • Developed learning materials, delivered lectures, and marked all evaluation metrics for graduate level introduction to statistical estimation at the University of Calgary
  • Winter 2019
    Teaching Assistant for ENEL 625 - Estimation Theory
    • Marked assignments/exams and provided support to students
  • Fall 2018
    Teaching Assistant for ENEL 419 - Probability and Random Variables
    • Marked assignments/exams and provided support to students
  • Fall 2018
    Teaching Assistant for ENEL 503 - Computer Vision
    • Marked and designed assignments/exams, provided support to students, and delivered lectures for the last two weeks of classes

Honors and Awards

  • Scholarships
    • Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program Entrance Prize (2021)
    • Alberta Graduate Student Scholarship (2018)
    • Alexander Rutherford Scholarship (2015)
    • Jason Lang Scholarship (2014)
    • University of Calgary Undergraduate Merit Award (2014)
    • President Admission Scholarship (2012, 2013)
  • Awards
    • Intel International Science and Engineering Fair:
      • United Technologies Corporation Award (2012)
      • K. Soumyanath Memorial Award (2012)
      • INCOSE Honourable Mention (2012)
      • CERN Travel Award (2012)
      • First Place Grand Award in Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical (2012)
      • SPIE Second Place Award (2011)
      • MIT Lincoln Laboratory Minor Planet Namesake (2011)
      • First Place Grand Award in Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical (2011)
      • Google CS Connect Runner-up (2010)
      • Fourth Place Grand Award in Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical (2010)

Leadership and Volunteering Activities

  • 2010 - now
    Pianist for the Danish Lutheran Church in Calgary
    • Provide music accompaniment for weekly Sunday services as well as community events such as baptisms, weddings, and funerals
  • 2017
    Project Team Lead - Tikkun Olam Makers Make-a-thon
    • Developed an educational software tool tailored to an autistic individual’s audiovisual needs when searching the Internet to complete schoolwork

Computer Skills

  • ○ Programming languages: C, C++, Python, Matlab
  • ○ Data structures and algorithms: experience with developing models for large-scale production systems
  • ○ Frameworks: Tensorflow, NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, OpenCV, OpenGL
  • ○ Cloud services: AWS

Other Interests

  • Sports: CrossFit, hiking, skiing, soccer, hockey
  • Hobbies: music, reading, cooking, movies