Advait Sarkar | Professional

Affiliations

Current

Affiliated lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge (2018—present)
Member, University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) (2015—present)
Member, Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery (C2D3) (formerly the Cambridge Big Data Strategic Research Initiative) (2014—present)

Past

I was a Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge (2017—2019)
I served on the selection committee for the Darwin College Microsoft Research Fellowships in 2018 and 2019.
I served on the awards committee for the Cambridge Society for the Application of Research in 2018 and 2020.
I was a Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society (2014—2018)
I served on the executive committee of the Cambridge University LGBT campaign as Computing Officer in 2010-2011.
I served on the executive committee of the Cambridge University Scientific Society (SciSoc) as Director for Information Technology in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

Policy & outreach

June 2020: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Max Beverton-Palmer (Head of Internet Policy, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change) to discuss how technology and government digital infrastucture investment should play a role in economic recovery and growth.
June 2020: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with David Knight (Head of Data Economy Team, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) to discuss trustworthiness and transparency in data use, and how to measure and improve data-driven decision making in the UK Government.
March 2020: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Daniel Shaw (Head of Housing and Planning Statistics, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) to discuss the applications of technology, data analytics and machine learning for the future of planning affordable and climate-forward housing.
March 2020: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Nicola Davis (Head of Languages Team at Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)) to discuss the applications of technology in language learning and translation.
November 2019: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Adam Ingle (Assistant Director, Department of Home Affairs (Australia)) to discuss whether emerging technologies will impact the balance between privacy and security, national regulation of digital technology, and whether technology manufacturers and online service providers have a responsibility to national security and law enforcement agencies.
October 2019: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Luke Hughes (Senior Policy Adviser, Exploitation Projects Team, Home Office) to discuss ethics and morality offline and online, and how the state might micro-target citizens for the delivery of public services, in an ethical, legal and publicly acceptable way.
October 2019: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Vinous Ali (Head of Policy, TechUK) to discuss the changing landscape of employment due to automation, and what government and industry can do to prepare.
June 2019: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Katherine Oyama (former White House Associate Counsel and Deputy Counsel to Vice President Joe Biden; currently Senior Policy Counsel for Google) to discuss the relationship between copyright law and machine learning.
May 2019: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Gaia Marcus (Head of Data Strategy at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) to discuss value of data, the long-term effects of automation, and the effects on society of the Internet giants' business models.
February 2019: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Jon Sell (Deputy Director, Corporate Finance, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy HM Treasury) to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in supporting investor choice for sustainable capital allocations, focusing particularly on climate related risks and opportunities.
March 2018: I gave a talk titled 'Artificial Intelligence: let's lose the hype and think practically' at TEDx Cambridge University.
June 2017: I participated in a Cambridge mathematics workshop on the future of the UK national mathematics curriculum.
May 2017: I participated in the 2017 annual CSAR debate: This house believes that Artificial Intelligence / Robotics will make us happier. I seconded the opposition, which was the winning side. Marta Cecchinato wrote a nice blog post.
March 2017: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Dr Steve Smith (Head of Science, Committee on Climate Change) to discuss the role of machine learning as part of the problem and solution to the emissions problem, low-emission innovation, and energy demands of future homes and buildings.
February 2017: I participated in the CSaP workshop on future of mobility, a half-day panel discussion in assistance of a Foresight Project on the future of mobility being undertaken by the Government Office for Science.
May 2016: I gave a talk titled 'When artificial stupidity takes over the world', as part of the 2016 Pint of Science festival. The talk was a friendly introduction to AI for a public audience and the venue sold out several weeks in advance.
April 2016: I was interviewed by Cambridge TV (link to video) about the growth and challenges surrounding machine learning. We discussed the recent defeat of Lee Sedol, champion Go player, by the AlphaGo artificial intelligence, as well as issues of interpretability and accountability.
January 2016: I gave a one-on-one policy meeting with Sophie Odenthal (at that time Advisor to the Behavioural Insights Team, currently Advisor to Her Majesty's Treasury) to discuss the use of data analytics to improve the uptake and quality of education.

Conference and journal service

Co-chair, Transparency and Explanations in Smart Systems, IUI 2021
Co-chair, Explainable Smart Systems for Algorithmic Transparency in Emerging Technologies, IUI 2020
Co-chair, Explainable Smart Systems, IUI 2019
Finance chair, VL/HCC 2017
Showpieces chair, VL/HCC 2016

Program committee, VL/HCC 2021
Program committee, VL/HCC 2020
Program committee, VL/HCC 2019
Program committee, OzCHI 2019
Program committee, IUI 2019
Program committee, OzCHI 2018 (short papers)
Program committee, CHI 2018 (late-breaking work)
Program committee, IUI 2018
Program committee, VL/HCC 2017
Program committee, PPIG 2016

Session chair, VL/HCC 2020
Session chair, VL/HCC 2018
Session chair, VL/HCC 2016
Session chair, PPIG 2016

Reviewer, NIME 2021
Reviewer, Complexity, 2020
Reviewer, TIIS, 2017
Reviewer, PPIG 2017
Reviewer, CHI 2017 🏆 Excellent reviewer award
Reviewer, VL/HCC 2017
Reviewer, CHI 2016 (papers)
Reviewer, PPIG 2016
Reviewer, Eurographics 2016
Reviewer, Knowledge-Based Systems, 2016
Reviewer, British HCI 2015

Awards

Microsoft worldwide hackathon, July 2019
- 1^st place, LinkedIn global executive challenge
- Honourable mention for best project, Microsoft Research Cambridge
Microsoft worldwide hackathon, July 2018
- Best project, Microsoft Research Cambridge
Cambridge Society for the Application of Research student award, March 2017
Microsoft worldwide hackathon, July 2017
- Honourable mention for best project, Microsoft Research Cambridge
- 1^st place, customer category: millennials (global executive challenge)
Highly commended paper (honourable mention), VL/HCC 2016, September 2016
Microsoft worldwide hackathon, July 2016
- Best project, Microsoft Research Cambridge
- Hack for Her global award winner
- 1^st place, cloud penetration and consumption global executive challenge
Honourable mention, EuroVis 2016, June 2016
Emmanuel College Prize & Honorary Bachelor Scholarship (£1,200), July 2013
Sudbury-Hardyman Prize & Ash Senior Scholarship (£300), June 2012

Grants

EPSRC + BT Research and Technology industrial CASE award (∼£110,000), October 2013 - March 2017
Cambridge Computer Laboratory Robert Sansom studentship (∼£66,000), October 2013 - March 2017
Cambridge Society for the Application of Research student award (£1,000), March 2017
Microsoft Research Cambridge conference scholarship (£500), May 2016
VL/HCC 2015 Graduate consortium scholarship ($2,000), October 2015
Diagrams 2014 Graduate symposium scholarship ($410), August 2014
Cambridge Commonwealth Trust scholarship (£24,000), October 2009 - June 2013