Industry-academic partnership drives innovation in computer science

Researchers from Cheriton School of Computer Science and Preferred Networks, Inc. collaborating on machine learning and human computer interaction - By Jon Parsons Faculty of Mathematics - Fabrice Matulic is a senior researcher at Preferred Networks, Inc., a technology company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. He is a former postdoctoral fellow in the Cheriton School of Computer Science, where he worked in the field of human computer interaction (HCI). After leaving Waterloo, Matulic maintained a productive working relationship with researchers at the University, and specifically with Daniel Vogel, associate professor and Cheriton Faculty Fellow in computer science. In recent years, their industry-academic partnership has resulted in a flourishing of research, providing enormous value to the University and to Preferred Networks. The collaboration is a case-study for how such partnerships can drive innovation. "When I was looking at doing the postdoc, I knew Dan's work and I knew we had a shared affinity for HCI," Matulic said.