Our series ‘Unlocking the future of research’ is coming to its second release. In this editorial, our colleague Mahdi Chamseddine, a PhD student at RTPU Kaiserslautern working in the Augmented Vision department of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), tells us about his research focus and experience working at HumanTech.
Meet Mahdi:
My research focuses on deep learning for sensor data processing and scene understanding, specifically using radar and lidar sensors. When I learned about the HumanTech project, I was intrigued. It was a new topic for me and my first time participating in a European project.
“My research focuses on deep learning for sensor data processing and scene understanding, specifically using radar and lidar sensors.”
In HumanTech, my primary role is centred around the semantic segmentation of point clouds, which was both an opportunity and a challenge for me. Delving into this new topic and navigating the construction field presented its own challenges. I had to familiarize myself with new terminologies and align my work with the unique requirements of the construction domain. While this was a departure from my previous work, my experience in research was an asset as I’ve often navigated the waters of new topics. This project was no exception — it reaffirmed that research is a continuous learning journey.
A standout moment during my time on the project was achieving 3rd place in the 2023 CV4AEC challenge. This accomplishment was a testament to our team’s hard work and its importance.
“Achieving 3rd place in the 2023 CV4AEC challenge was a testament to our team’s hard work and its importance.”
At first glance, the project seemed like a departure from the core of my PhD research. The nuances of working on deep learning in the context of construction certainly presented a different facet of the field. However, this shift in focus became an unexpected boon. It introduced fresh perspectives and offered interesting angles from which to approach my PhD research. It pushed me to formulate my ideas with more clarity, bridging the gap between seemingly disparate areas and creating a cohesive narrative that intertwined my work on HumanTech with my broader research goals.
The HumanTech project, a collaboration across multiple institutes, expanded my professional network significantly, helped me gain invaluable knowledge, and honed my skills in interdisciplinary collaboration. These experiences and the connections I have made have set the foundation for future opportunities and collaborations in my career.
“The HumanTech project expanded my professional network significantly, helped me gain invaluable knowledge, and honed my skills in interdisciplinary collaboration.”
It has been an unexpected journey thus far, and I feel constantly challenged to improve and learn both professionally and personally. It is exciting to take part in shaping the future of construction!
Take a look at the first edition of our series with Chiara Zarna, research scientist at SINTEF.
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