Spotlight: Omar Richardson

What is your educational background and how did you become interested in your field?

I have a background in applied mathematics. I develop and use mathematical models to simulate real-life processes and learn new things about them. For my master’s degree, I studied the dynamics of crowds, and how we can capture them in mathematical models. I did my internship at Lowlands, a Dutch music festival, where I used these simulations to evaluate the evacuation strategies they had in place.

During my PhD, I started looking into artificial intelligence as a way to mimic processes which were too challenging or not well enough understood to fit in the mathematical models we are familiar with. It is exciting to see how the flexibility of AI models combined with the power of modern-day computers allow us to analyse and predict so much more than we used to.

As Chief Technology Officer at Simula Consulting, my main role is to assess our clients' problems, and evaluate the available technologies we can use to solve them. Which algorithms are the best fit for our client’s problem? On what timeline can they see improvements? I enjoy my role a lot. I still get to use my problem-solving skills, but I’m able to help people more directly now.

What is interesting/important about your field for the ordinary person?

The most interesting thing about my field right now is how the opportunities are expanding so quickly. Things we couldn’t imagine possible 15 years ago are now being relied upon on a daily basis.

But it’s important to keep in mind that computers are still essentially the same as they were when they were invented in the 40s; machines that follow predefined instructions to process binary input and produce binary output. So, they do have their limits.

Can you share any case studies that demonstrate the practical implications of your work?

As a researcher in applied mathematics, the projects that interested me the most were the ones that had real-life data available. My former supervisor Adrian Muntean taught me that if you want to push boundaries, the key ingredients are a broad perspective and an open collaboration. Together with other researchers and a German municipality, we used mathematical simulations to validate the effectiveness of emission-absorbing asphalt. A practical application that can make a real difference.

My work today as the CTO of Simula Consulting has changed a lot from when I was a researcher. 

We focus on developing AI applications that make a difference for our clients and for society as a whole. Last year, in a consortium led by the hunting and fishing association of Berlevåg, we built the digital infrastructure for a river wildlife sorting mechanism. It uses computer vision to filter out invasive fish species that wreak havoc on the biodiversity in Norwegian rivers, while allowing naturally occurring species to pass through. The real challenge in this project is making your software so robust that it survives out in the wild. (simula.consulting/news-archive/top-10-in-sustainability)

Are there emerging trends or technologies within your field that you find particularly exciting or promising?

What I find the most interesting trend right now is the work being done to make AI more explainable. It’s widely acknowledged that for AI-powered tools to have a real and beneficial impact, we as humans need to understand and validate its internal decision process. But up until now, most AI models are black boxes. Even if they are accurate in their output, it can be impossible for the builders of the model to know which steps the model took to come to its final decision. Resolving this is a big technical challenge that many people are working on at the moment. Once they start to succeed, we will be able to leverage AI a lot better.

Can you share an example of how you collaborate with industry partners or other researchers in your work? (Specific, relevant stories are welcome here!)

Last year, we collaborated with both the public sector and researchers from SimulaMet in a project spearheaded by Valeriya and Claudia to improve the cervical cancer screening procedure. The Simula Consulting team worked on the improvement and deployment of new algorithms in the screening procedure for cervical cancer. The key to success here was continuous input from healthcare professionals to encode their knowledge and build a tool that addresses their needs. The result is a science-based tool that assists health personnel in doing what they do best, to help them be more accurate and reduce their workload. That, to me, is where R&D truly shows its value for society.

Thanks to Omar for contributing to this spotlight.