Institution of Engineering and Technology

The Department of Computing at Imperial is proud to announce that PhD student Lisa Alazraki is one of the awardees of the prestigious Postgraduate Research Awards 2024 by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). This accolade recognizes her contributions to the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning, specifically her work on enhancing the reasoning and planning capabilities of large foundation models.

Lisa Alazraki’s research project, titled "Reasoning and Planning with Large Foundation Models", aims to push the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can achieve. Under the supervision of Dr. Marek Rei, Lisa focuses on improving the performance of these models in complex and challenging tasks. Her work addresses critical areas such as mathematical problem-solving, knowledge-intensive question answering, and the navigation of virtual environments.

Large foundation models, like those Lisa works with, form the backbone of many advanced AI systems today. However, their ability to reason and plan in dynamic and multifaceted contexts has significant room for improvement. Lisa's research strives to fill this gap by developing methods that enhance these capabilities, thereby enabling AI systems to tackle more sophisticated and nuanced problems with greater efficiency and accuracy.

The Postgraduate Research Awards from the IET are one of the most coveted accolades for emerging researchers in engineering and technology. They recognise individuals who demonstrate excellence in research, innovation, and potential for future contributions to their respective fields.

Lisa Alazraki's award not only highlights her personal achievements but also underscores the cutting-edge research conducted within the Department of Computing at Imperial. Her work exemplifies the department's commitment to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and developing technologies that can solve real-world problems.

Dr. Marek Rei was Lisa’s project supervisor.